Details of attack releasedFamily assaulted with hammer, screwdriverBy
RYAN HORNSThe mother and two daughters injured in Tuesday's Mill Valley
homeinvasion have reportedly been released from hospital care."They are
on the mend," Union County Prosecutor's Office victim'sadvocate Nancy
Benedetti said this morning.Marysville Police Department Assistant Chief
Glenn Nicol said thismorning that the mother was released from Grant Medical
Center at 6 p.m.Tuesday. The daughters, ages 10 and 12, were transported to
MemorialHospital of Union County for care and also were released.Nicol
said all three received stitches for their wounds. He clarifiedthis morning
that there was no knife involved. The men had used toolsfound in the
family's garage."They used a hammer and a screwdriver," Nicol said. "We
won't knowanything other than that until we meet with the
family."Marysville Police received a 911 call from 1452 Meadowlark Lane
Mondayat 11:45 p.m. from a 10-year-old girl in her mother's bedroom
reportingthat her mother, her 12-year-old sister and herself had been
injured bymen during a burglary.Reports state that two Hispanic males,
who remain at large, had enteredthrough an open garage door. They were
allegedly stealing electronicequipment from the first floor, when the mother
caught them in the act.The victims were assaulted on that floor and later
upstairs.The 10-year-old girl told dispatchers she had been injured on her
fingerand leg. She thought the men had a knife and were stabbing her
motherand had assaulted her sister.This morning Benedetti reported the
extent of injuries the familyreceived. She said the mother had suffered
cuts, lacerations and bruiseson her head and on various locations on her
body. The 12-year-olddaughter was struck three times on her head, which
required stitches andshe also suffered bruises and scratches.Benedetti
said the 10-year-old girl who called dispatchers, "hadsuffered the extent of
the injuries."The girl had been struck three places on her leg, which
requiredstitches. She had also been struck on her head and while fighting of
herattacker had suffered a defensive wound on her finger which
required stitches."They are troopers, every one of them," Benedetti said.
"Those two girlsare to be commended for their bravery."She said the
girls were sore from their injuries, but they were smilingas they talked to
people this morning.Marysville Police Chief Floyd Golden said this morning
that he was proudof the 10-year-old daughter for calling 911 for help when
she did. Hesaid that a program currently exists in which kindergarten
children aregiven training in how to call 911. He hoped that the girl's
calmdemeanor on the phone may have been a result of that
training.

Code Red
system hits snag after assaultFrom J-T staff reportsA glitch in the
Union County Code Red system may have preventedemergency calls going out to
phones in Mill Valley after a recent home invasion.Marysville Police
received a 911 call at 11:45 p.m. Monday that twoHispanic males broke into a
home at 1452 Meadowlark Lane. A 10-year-oldvictim reported that her mother
and her 12-year-old sister had been assaulted.This morning Union County
Sheriff's Office Communications Director AnneBarr said that a Code Red call
went out at 1:05 a.m. to 297 Mill Valleyphones. The message told residents
that a burglary had occurred in theirneighborhood and that two victims had
been assaulted. It stated that thetwo men who committed the crime had fled
on foot and were at large. Themessage asked residents to lock all of their
doors and turn on theiroutside house lights.But an error in the system
prevented that message from reaching everyoneit was meant for."It didn't
hit every home in Mill Valley," Barr said.She said that the system is new
and a problem had somehow occurred. Thesheriff's office is currently looking
into what happened and why all ofthe homes had not been notified.Barr
said that the sheriff's office had received some calls from MillValley
residents complaining that they had not received the Code Redafter hearing
that some of their neighbors had.

Longtime worker looks back at the birth of Honda in
MarysvilleBy MAC CORDELLAs Honda of America Manufacturing prepares for
Thursday's celebration ofthe first car, built by a Japanese company in
America, one associateremembers fondly the early days.In fact, Tim
Hines, assistant manager over instrument panel production,remembers the very
first days.A recent high school graduate, Hines turned 18 in August of 1980
andbegan working for Honda in the motorcycle plant Sept. 2, of that
same year.Hines was a hard worker through school. He helped an area
farmer duringthe summer then had a job at a local pharmacy. His father and
severalother family members worked in a factory and Hines hoped to use
thoseconnections to get himself a job there as well."I had a lot of
people who told me that might be a good career for me,"Hines said. "I was
kind of thinking that might be where I would end up."That's when the
motorcycle plant opened and Hines took a job with thenew company from
Japan."A lot of people were interested and just getting out of high school,
Ithought I could get in with a young, growing company. I thought it
mightturn out pretty good for me and it certainly has."At the motorcycle
factory, Hines painted the bikes, which at that timehad to be done by
hand.He hadn't been with Honda long when the chance to start on the
groundfloor of a new factory came knocking. Honda officials came to
themotorcycle plant and explained they would be opening the car plant
nextdoor. Anyone who was interested in making the move was invited to do
so.A supervisor in the motorcycle paint shop decided to transfer to the
carplant, and thinking highly of him, Hines decided to go to transfer
as well."I thought this was another good opportunity to get involved in a
plantbefore it even gets started," Hines said of his decision.He said he
and his friends at the motorcycle plant would go outsideduring their breaks
and watch construction on the plant."It was very impressive to me," said
Hines.As impressive as the construction was, Hines was more excited about
theupcoming move."At that time I was eager for the challenge," Hines
said. "You neverknew at that time how big it was going to be."On Oct.
10, 1982, workers started at the plant"We were just starting up," Hines
said. "We had the new machines and wewere just learning how to turn them
on."While set to work in plastics at the automobile factory, he was
actuallyworking in the car plant's paint shop when the first Honda rolled
offthe line. Hines explained that the paint division was "having a
littletrouble getting up and started." He said plant officials came
throughand asked for anyone with paint experience. When Hines said he had
beenin paint at the motorcycle plant, he was asked to take a one
monthassignment in the paint shop.So excited to show his work ethic at
the new facility, Hines jumped at the chance."Back then, if someone had
said there is an opportunity over here or anopportunity over there, I would
have gone and taken it," Hines said."It was just an awesome opportunity for
someone of my level, so I waswilling to take on anything that was asked of
me." He added. "It helpedthat I didn't think they would ask me if they
didn't feel I could handle it."By the first of December, Hines was back
in plastics and while he hasstayed in the plastics division, he said much
has changed since 1982."Growth, obviously," Hines said with a smile when
asked about thebiggest of the changes.He said it has been exciting to
keep up with the evolving science of plastic."The technology of plastics
has changed quite a bit over the years andwe have been able to keep up with
that," he said.He noted that while plastics used to be hard and would easily
shatter,it is much softer and more pliable now.From less than 300 car a
day in just a few colors and very fewvariations, the auto plant has expanded
an now produces 1,800 Hondaseach day, with several different models in
production, oftensimultaneously. Hines said there is a great sense of pride
working in afacility with that kind of capabilities."There aren't many
plants in the world that can make six differentproducts at the same time,"
Hines said. "There is a lot of prideHines said all of the changes he has
seen have led to improvements insafety and quality for both the customer and
the associates.As a lifelong resident of the area, Hines said he has seen
Honda changethe community as well. He said there is nothing left of the land
he oncehelped farm. He said there is more traffic and more people and a
biggerMarysville. But he said it is worth it.When you think of all the
jobs and the impact Honda has had on theeconomy, not only the people that
work here, but also the jobs the jobsthat wouldn't be in the community if it
weren't for Honda being here."It has allowed families to stay here that
wouldn't have been able to otherwise."Honda has also allowed some people
to leave the area.Hines said he stopped counting the number of trips to
Japan when hereached 15. While he doesn't know how many times he has been
there, hesaid he still remembers his first in 1986."I had never been on
a plane before," Hines said. "I had only been outof the state of Ohio a
couple times in my life."He said that despite being a Japanese company,
Honda has "interwoven"itself into the community. Hines said he wished
residents reallyunderstood all the things Honda does for the surrounding
area."There is just a lot of impact back to the community that a lot
ofpeople don't see," Hines said. "It is not just us making cars.
Thisplant has made a positive change in the community."Hines said he
hopes he gives as much to the company that they give tothe community. He
said his father used to tell to accomplish something everyday."I try to
give it my best everyday and I try to do better each day thanI did the day
before," Hines said.That's what he has been doing at Honda for more than 25
years.

Three running for mayor of RichwoodElection 2007By
CHAD WILLIAMSONAn incumbent and two challengers are vying for mayor in the
village of Richwood.While mayor Bill Nibert is touting all the
accomplishments of hisadministration during his 16 years as mayor,
challengers Arlene Blue andCynthia Blackburn claim they are running because
they were recruited todo so by concerned citizens. ---Cynthia
BlackburnOne word repeatedly comes up when Cynthia Blackburn discusses
herqualifications to serve as mayor of the village of Richwood -
honesty.While she readily admits that she is not savvy in the dealings of
avillage government, Blackburn says what she lacks in experience
shefeels she makes up for in other areas."The key is honesty," Blackburn
said. "I wouldn't cheat anybody. Icouldn't do that."Blackburn, who has
operated her own beautician business in the villagesince 1993, said many of
her clients asked her to run for the position."I want to see what I can do
for the village," Blackburn said.She said she sees no sweeping changes which
are needed for the village,but just general pride issues."I want to see
if we can make the people of Richwood proud again," she said.Blackburn
said she would have an open door policy as mayor that wouldapply to
residents as well as village employees. She said she would ridealong with
village employees to learn what they do on a day-to-day basis.She said
she is a good listener and gaining feedback is crucial inmaking positive
changes in the village."I can't solve all of the world's problems but I can
work on a smallcorner," Blackburn said.Crime, specifically by juveniles,
is a problem plaguing the village,according to Blackburn. She sees getting
youth and adults involved invillage affairs as a key to cutting some of the
crime."I would like to see the town come together a little bit
more," Blackburn said.Blackburn said she welcomes the challenge of
learning the ins and outsof being a mayor if elected. She said she hopes the
people of Richwoodare ready to get away from politics as usual and vote for
a candidatewith a fresh perspective.Blackburn said it would be difficult
to run both a business and thevillage, but she would make it work. She said
she believes her clienteleand employees would help her free up time for work
around the village."I will make it blend," Blackburn said. "I'm a nonstop
worker."Former village council member Arlene Blue said she will bring
fiscalresponsibility to the Richwood government. She said government is
abusiness and village officials need to spend public money like
theyspend their own money at home.---Arlene BlueBlue, a former
20-year member of Richwood council, said she was asked torun by numerous
people who felt a change was needed in the village. Shesaid her love for
Richwood led her to accept.Blue said she will bring a level of frugality to
village affairs."I notice things written in the paper that distresses me
financially," Blue said.She noted things such as paying a law firm
several thousand dollars toupdate the codified ordinances and failing to
keep an updated inventoryof village assets as issues that trouble
her."We need to get practical," Blue said. "We are a small village
andpeople are tired of taxes."She said the village currently does not
have a maintenance program tomake machinery last."They just go out and
replace them," Blue said.Blue also said upgrading the appearance of the
village will be a toppriority if she is elected."I'm just tired of the
grit and grime," Blue said. "The village just looks bad."She said the
government needs to convince residents to take pride intheir homes and
property."I'm really disheartened in people's property," she said. "People
don'ttake pride in what the village looks like."Blue said she would also
like to bring a level of respect to villageoperations, pushing Richwood
employees to have pride in their work.She said she will insist that rules of
parliamentary procedure arefollowed at meetings and she will ensure the
public is treated withrespect. She also added that she will not succumb to
favoritism."I will not play favorites to friends and family," she
said.Blue said her experience as an accountant has familiarized her
withpayroll and tax issues. She said she is also familiar with dealing
withthe state and bureau of workers compensation.Blue noted that her
experience on council also familiarized her withgrant writing and noted that
she wrote a grant application and secured a$40,000 grant for the Richwood
Park. ---Bill NibertNibert, an insurance agent in the village, says
he is seeking office tocontinue the growth that has taken place in the
village during his pastterms as mayor. A lifelong resident of Union County
and 50-year residentof Richwood, Nibert has served as mayor for a total of
16 years."During my past terms as mayor Richwood has seen tremendous
progress,"Nibert said.In terms of what qualifies him to serve as mayor
of the village, Nibertneeds only point to the list of accomplishments under
hisadministration. Under Nibert's watch the village has seen
theinstallation of new water and sewer lines and a new water tower.He
also pointed to the purchase and development of ground for thevillage
industrial park which is now the home of MAI manufacturing whichemploys more
then 65 individuals, 90 percent of which are residents ofthe Richwood area,
according to Nibert.Nibert also points to negotiations to secure the land
for the newbaseball diamond at the park and the land were the Veterans'
Memorial islocated. He has also overseen the annexation of 22 acres of
ground offOttawa Street for additional housing for the village.Nibert
also noted that the village has received $5 million in grantsfrom the Union
County Commissioners while he was mayor of the village."I would like to
continue as mayor to ensure this progress," Nibert said.

Family attacked in homeSuspects entered residence via open garage
doorBy CHAD WILLIAMSON AND RYAN HORNSA woman and her two daughters were
reportedly attacked in their MillValley home Monday night by two Hispanic
males who remain at large.The woman, who sustained lacerations in the
attack, was transported toGrant Medical Center by MedFlight after the
incident. Her daughters,ages 10 and 12, were transported to Memorial
Hospital of Union County byemergency squad where they were treated and
released.According to Glenn Nicol, assistant chief of the Marysville
PoliceDepartment, officers received a 911 call from 1452 Meadowlark Lane
at11:45 p.m. The 10-year-old, who was in a second floor bedroom,
reportedthat her mother was struggling with the subjects downstairs. In
thebackground the second young daughter can be heard crying and
yelling"Help mommy!"Periodically the mother can be heard
screaming."There is someone in my house and their killing . their stabbing
mymom," the 10-year-old said. "They are stabbing me and my sister and
mymom . I'm scared!""Where's your mom at right now?" the dispatcher
asked."She downstairs, they're hurting her," she said.The girl said she
had no idea who the men were, but they had stabbedtheir mother and went down
to the basement. The girl had gone to hermother's bedroom to make the call
to police."Did you actually see the knife?" dispatchers asked."No, but
my mommy got hit by one, it was going down her throat. And I'mall bleeding,
there is a cut on my finger and my leg.""He cut your finger and your leg?"
dispatchers asked."Yes and my face is like bleeding and everything," the
girl said.At this point in the conversation, screams can be heard
louderdownstairs in the home."My mom is freaking out, she got hit with
the knife," the girl said. "Mymom's crying, she got stabbed
again."Although the girl claims the intruders had a knife, authorities are
notyet confirming that fact.Nicol said it appeared the two men chose the
house at random because thegarage door was raised. At this time it is not
believed that theattackers knew the victims.The men entered the home
through the garage and were removing electronicequipment when they were
confronted by the woman. The victim's husbandwas reportedly at his job at
the time of the attack.Nicol said the woman was struck in the head with an
unidentified objectduring the attack. Although he would not name the item,
Nicol said it isbelieved the object used came from the garage of the
home.The two daughters, who were asleep when the attack began, were
awakenedand called police. The attackers would later make their way up
thestairs and assault the two girls.The men fled the scene and have not
been caught. It is unknown whetherthey escaped on foot or were in a
vehicle.Marysville Police, including the K-9 unit, and Union County
Sheriff'sDeputies responded to the scene. Representatives of the Bureau
ofCriminal Investigation and Identification were at the scene this
morningprocessing the home for evidence.

Mill Valley residents
shocked by eventsBy MAC CORDELLNews of the attack on a Meadowlark Lane
resident spread quickly throughthe Mill Valley housing development this
morning."We are freaking out here," said Kristina Kramer, who was outside
withher son and talking with her neighbor.She said her daughter plays
sports with one of the injured girls and was"shocked" to hear the
news.Kramer said she and her neighbors are "nervous Nellies," following
news of the attack.Her family already has a plan."We are calling
Brinks this morning to turn on our system. We don't carewhat it costs,"
Kramer said.She explained that all the homes in Mill Valley were built with
securitysystems, but it was the new resident's responsibility to have
them activated."I think Brinks is going to get a lot of calls this
morning," she said.Kramer said she moved into Mill Valley four years ago
with her familyfrom South Dakota. She said in South Dakota, the family
didn't lockdoors or cars as there was no need. She said she learned her
lessonrecently when her vehicle was broken into and a DVD player
stolen."Otherwise, this neighborhood has been totally quiet. It is
really unexpected."Becky Wever and Kellie Crosby were walking with their
children, talkingabout the break-in."We were both really surprised it
happened in our neighborhood," saidWever. "One of the reasons we moved here
was because it was so populatedand seemed so safe."Crosby knows she
sometimes left the garage door open, but not anymore."It was really an eye
opener, because I know there are times when weaccidentally leave our garage
door open, but we will be more careful."Both said the incident has served as
a warning."I think it just teaches you to be more vigilant," Wever
said."Definitely," agreed Crosby.

County hopes residents see value
of 911 systemElection 2007By RYAN HORNSUnion County officials are
asking voters for the second time to helpkeep its 911 emergency services
afloat.The previous 911 levy expired in December 2006.Union County
Sheriff Rocky Nelson explained the importance of thecounty's 911 Public
Safety Communications Levy by answering a number of questions.How much
will it cost?Nelson said residents passed a 0.5 mill levy in 1988 to
originallycreate the 911 services. Now, 19 years later, residents are being
askedto pass a 0.75 mill levy to keep those services in place until
2011.Under the previous levy, the owner of a $100,000 home paid roughly $14
ayear. Passage of the Nov. 6 ballot issue would cost the owner of
a$100,000 home an additional $8.80 a year.Nelson said voters have
renewed the levy every five years. However,Union County has become one of
the fastest growing counties in thestate. This has had an affect on the
number of emergency situations, andthe rise in crime has been
significant.The sheriff said that last year the 911 levy failed by more than
400votes. Its passage would have ensured a seamless continuation
of services."It's critical at this point," he said. "We have no wiggle
room now. Weare trying to explain to the people of Union County the need for
the levy."What is 911?Nelson said Union County's 911 system is a
computer-enhanced programwhich provides the dispatcher with a location and
phone number when a911 call is dialed from a typical land line phone.If
a resident makes a 911 call from his or her cell phone, wirelesstechnology
gives the dispatcher the location by using X and Y mappingcoordinates. Union
County is one of only 23 Ohio counties which have this capability.He said
having both 911 land line and cell phone capability (provided acellular
signal is available) "provides residents with the security ofknowing that
they have immediate, direct access to a dispatcher in theevent of an
emergency."What has the county done to save money? Allen Township Fire
Chief Rod Goddard said by combining the city andcounty 911 systems into one
call center in 2006, it eliminated theexpense of duplicate equipment and
services while still enabling 911 tomaintain the present level of
service."In 2005, following the Ohio Revised Code, a Planning Committee
wasformed," Goddard said. "It consisted of a county commissioner, the
mayorof the most populous city and a trustee of the most populous
township.They in turn asked for a Technical Advisory Committee to be formed
toaddress needs, costs, technology, etc."Goddard said the Technical
Advisory Committee consisted of 15 peoplefrom 13 different entities, such as
township trustees, law enforcement,fire departments, Emergency Management
and telephone companies. Over aperiod of several months, the committee
presented an amended plancurrently in operation and the suggested funding
requirements needed."There is so much behind the scenes that the majority of
people don'tknow about," Goddard said. "But they expect the services to be
therewhen they call . If they only knew the effort that has gone into
this."What are the needs?Nelson said with rapid county growth, increased
use of 9-1-1 and thedemand for newer technology, it has created the need for
additionalfunding. From 1990 to 2005, Union County's population surged from
31,969to 45,751, a 31 percent increase. He said 9-1-1 calls for
assistanceincreased from 6,690 calls in 2004 to 10,673 calls in 2006, a 37
percent increase."Updated technology and staff - to adequately meet the
needs of ourresidents, especially in times of emergencies - is a concern,"
saidUnion County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Tom Morgan,One concern for the
levy, Nelson said, is that Union County residentsare often hit with numerous
levies at the same time. It can make peopledecide against passing any of
them.

Mental Health board seeks replacement levy on Nov. 6Editor's note: Today's
newspaper has the first two stories regardingissues and candidates for the
November election. Election stories willappear through Friday.---By
MAC CORDELLThe Mental Health and Recovery Board of Union County is asking
communitymembers to renew its funding source on Nov. 6.The board is
seeking a 0.5-mills replacement levy to provide money forthe operation of
mental health services and facilities. If passed, itwould not take effect
until 2008, but would last 10 years. Currently theowner of a 100,000 home in
Union County pays $10.50. If the levy passes,the same homeowner would pay
$15.32. The levy will raise approximately$585,000 per year.Mental Health
and Recovery serves as the local mental health andsubstance abuse authority,
responsible for planning, funding and evaluating services."The levy
dollars are really safety net dollars," said Mike Witzky,executive director
of the Union County Board of Mental Health andRecovery. "Our levy dollars
are our most flexible dollars."He added, "I think passing the levy is for
the good and safety of our community."Witzky said in fiscal year 2007,
the board served 2,056 clients, anumber that has more than doubled since
2001.He said the board assists in a lot of ways that most members of
thepublic never see, like mental health counseling or treatment for drug
oralcohol dependency. He said the board also helps in more
recognizableways with things like help for homeless and supported housing to
keepsome of those with mental illness in their homes.Witzky said the
board also provides counseling for the uninsured and
the underinsured."These funds go to offset the care for these people,"
Witzky said.He said community services will suffer if the levy is not
approved by the voters."If the levy fails, ultimately we have three tries
to pass it, but if wecan't it is going to take $500,000 out of our budget,"
said Witzky. "Ifthat happens, we will probably have to reduce our counseling
staff. Itwill have a direct impact on our clinical staff. We will have to
cutcosts and the easiest way to do that is cut staff."While levy dollars
are the board's most flexible, they all go to services."100 percent of
levy dollars go to client services for Union County,"Witzky said. "They do
not go to administrative services."County voters will have other local
issues to decide as well.Levies to help cover police protection from the
Union County Sheriff'sOffice will be on the ballot in both Jerome and
Millcreek Townships.Jerome Townships levy is an additional 1.2-mills tax, to
last fiveyears. If the five-year levy passes, the owner of a
$100,000Jerome-Township home would pay $36.76. The levy will raise
approximately$202,000 per year.In Millcreek Township, voters will be
deciding on an additional 2-millstax levy. If the five-year levy passes, the
owner of a $100,000 home inMillcreek would pay $61.24. The levy will raise
approximately $69,000 per year.Fire protection will be the subject of
levies in Liberty and TaylorTownships, both to begin in 2008. If passed, the
fire levies would beused for the maintenance of fire apparatus, appliances,
buildings aswell as water sources along with the payment of firefighters and
other fire companies.In Liberty Township, the proposed 5.75-mills
replacement levy would lastfive years. Currently the owner of a 100,000 home
in Liberty Townshippays $137.58 for the fire levy. If the replacement levy
passes, the samehomeowner would pay $176.10. The levy will raise
approximately $392,500 per year.The Taylor Township levy is a 5.75-mills
replacement and increase, tolast five years, beginning in 2008. Currently
the owner of a 100,000home pays $130.70 for the fire levy. If the levy
passes, the samehomeowner would pay $176.10. The levy will raise
approximately $222,000 per year.Union Township, including the village of
Milford Center, and YorkTownship each have 1-mill levies on the
ballot.Union Township's is a five-year renewal, to begin in 2008.
Moneygenerated will be used for the operation and maintenance of the
townshipcemeteries. Currently the owner of a 100,000 home in Union Township
pays$30.52 for the levy and would see no change if the levy passes. The
levywill raise approximately $31,000 per year.York Township's levy is to
cover current operating expenses. It is afive-year replacement levy to begin
this year. Currently the owner of a100,000 York-Township home pays $17.96.
If the replacement levy passes,the same homeowner would pay $30.62. The levy
will raise approximately$24,800 per year.The board of elections approved
the placement of several alcohol-relatedinitiatives on the ballot. Old Stone
Haus Tavern, in Taylor Township,precinct 1, will have two issues on the
ballot - weekly sales ofspirituous liquor and Sunday sales of beer, wine and
mixed beverages.Voters in Marysville's 12th precinct will have the
opportunity to voteon Sunday sales of beer, wine and mixed beverages at
Buffalo Wild Wings,Little Tony's Pizzeria and Wal-Mart. In Marysville's
ninth precinct,17795 Mill Valley LLC. will be on the ballot requesting
permission tosell beer, wine and mixed beverages on Sunday.Election Day
is Tuesday, Nov. 6, however, those wishing to vote absenteemay do so now
through Nov. 5.

Click awayWireless remotes allow teachers to gauge
student understandingBy CORINNE BIXNew classroom response systems are
the equivalent of raising a pupil'shand in class at local school districts,
including Marysville,Fairbanks, Jonathan Alder and North Union.The
"clickers" are a wireless remote system that allows teachers toinvolve their
students in a whole new way and finally answers theage-old question that
every teacher wants to know "did they get that?"Tom McCulloch is a teacher
and technology specialist at Jonathan AlderJunior High School."It
totally engages the students," he said.JAJHS is currently sharing an
iRespond System among the teachers and staff.McCulloch said the class set
includes one receiver, which plugs into alaptop computer via a USB cord, and
32 student remotes or "clickers" asthey are commonly called."The
clickers look like a remote control for a TV with a number pad, theletters
A-E, directional buttons and a small LCD screen," he explained.The teacher
can ask the class a question and the students simply clickin their
answers."We instantly get feedback from all the students in class and not
justwho would normally raise their hands," McCulloch said.In addition to
verbally asking the question, the system can also be setup so that students
can re-read the question on their LCD screen before answering.The teacher
then gets immediate feedback as to what percentage of theclass has the
correct answer and can also pinpoint who might need
extra attention.Teresa Henn teaches business, accounting and finance at
North Union high school.Henn uses the classroom performance system with
her students as often asonce a week."I love it and my kids love it,"
Henn said. "I have kids asking me whenthe next quiz is because they want to
use it."Henn said a teacher could choose to input his or her own questions
or inthe case of a core content class, use questions that are
pre-programmedinto the system.She said her students like to see the
immediate results after they click in.Teachers can choose to put the
system in an anonymous mode in which eachstudent is identified by a number,
or in the case of a smaller group,could use actual names."After each
question you can show the top scores or not show scores, itjust depends on
what motivates the students," Henn said. "The systemoffers a lot of
options."McCulloch said the system records all the questions and answers and
hasthe ability to print out various reports so that a teacher can
reviewlater with a student who may have struggled with a particular idea
or concept.The average cost for a classroom set of remotes and a receiver
is $3,000.He said the advantage to the system is it allows for a more
hands-onlearning environment."If they can pick up something electronic,
it gets their attention,"McCulloch said.McCulloch said he hopes that
with time more and more teachers willbecome comfortable with the clickers
and utilize them within their classrooms.

Uncontested races prevalent
on Union County ballotsBy MAC CORDELLThe village of Milford Center will
have no contested races on the ballot in November.Nor will they have any
new faces in office.Nor will Plain City. Or North Union School Board. Or
ClaibourneTownship, or Dover Township or Jackson Township, any number of
other areas.In fact, according to the Union County Board of Elections,
just 10 of 49contests will have more candidates running than open seats, and
someraces will have no names on the ballot at all.Like residents in many
of the communities, civic duty will be the onlyreason for Plain City
residents to vote for either mayor or council asincumbent Sandy Adkins is
the one running for mayor and incumbentcouncil members Chris Johnston and
Bob Walter are the only two runningfor a pair of council seats.In
Marysville and Richwood, council seats will be open, but there willbe no
contest.Candidates for Marysville seats include incumbent John E. Marshall
inward 1, incumbent Daniel E. Fogt in ward 2, Deborah Groat in ward 3
andNevin L. Taylor in ward four, with one candidate from each ward to
be elected.Von R. Beal and William S. Jerew running for the two open
seats onRichwood Village Council.North Union Local School District
School District residents will seejust a pair of familiar names, those of
incumbents Bryan Bumgarner andJon Hall, on their ballots for two
seats.Voters will have few choices in Milford Center as incumbent mayor
BobMitchell will seek his seat again as will fiscal officer Dawn
Barnhardtand while there will be two seats open for village council,
currentcouncilman Anthony C. Smith will be the only name on the
ballot.Unionville Center residents, an old face will be in a new place
ascurrent councilman Denver B. Thompson Jr., is running unopposed
formayor. Tracy Rausch will be unopposed in her bid to be Unionville
Centerfiscal officer. Phil Rausch is running as a write-in candidate, for
oneof the two open seats on Unionville Center Village Council. He is
theonly candidate fioled for the position.In Magnetic Springs, no one
has is running for mayor or fiscal officer.Current councilman Martha
Cantrell and Carol Verity are the only tworunning for Magnetic Springs
Village Council.While any of the townships will see contested races. In
Allen Township,Dan Fancy (incumbent) and Don E. McCreary will vie for one
trusteeposition. Jerome Township residents will get to cast ballots
betweencurrent trustee Ron Rhodes and former trustee Freeman May. The
DarbyTownship trustee race will pitt Douglas J. Alderman (incumbent)
againstAlfred L. Short. In Dover Township, Russell Conklin (incumbent) and
RonMiller are both running for one trustee seat. Taylor Township
residentswill see three names - Dean E. Cook, Jack Engle (incumbent) and
John H.Marshall - on their ballot for one township trustee position.
UnionTownship voters will also see three names - Jeff Clark, Bradley
Herronand Randy C. Poland (incumbent) - on their ballot for one seat. In
YorkTownship, Donald Mathys (incumbent) and John Oates will run for
one trustee seat.Uncontested township positions include Allen Township
fiscal officer(incumbent Cande S. Brake), Claibourne Township trustee
(incumbentJeffery L. Swartz), Claibourne Township fiscal officer (incumbent
VickiPrice), Darby Township fiscal officer (Mary Dick), Dover Township
fiscalofficer (incumbent Wallace Snyder), Jerome Township fiscal
officer(incumbent Robert Caldwell), Jackson Township trustee (incumbent
StevePatton), Jackson Township fiscal officer (Jan Oldham), Leesburg
Townshiptrustee (incumbent Gary L. Cunningham), Leesburg Township fiscal
officer(incumbent Annette Jill Chapman), Liberty Township trustee
(incumbentRandy L. Trapp), Liberty Township fiscal officer (incumbent David
L.Gwilliams), Millcreek Township trustee (incumbent William E.
Lynch,Jr.), Millcreek Township fiscal officer (incumbent Joyce Beaver),
ParisTownship trustee (incumbent John M. Eufinger), Paris Township
fiscalofficer (incumbent Kristy K. Rowland), Taylor Township fiscal
officer(incumbent Patricia J. Laird), Union Township fiscal officer
(incumbentMary Lou Ryan), Washington Township trustee (incumbent Richard
L.Anderson), Washington Township fiscal officer (incumbent Valerie K.
Cox)and York Township fiscal officer (incumbent Timothy Paul Goodwin

Alleged Golden Arches burglars indictedBy MAC CORDELLThe trio that
allegedly burglarized a Marysville fast food restaurantare among the
individuals recently indicted by a Union County Grand Jury.Monuaire W.
(Money) Cross, Nicolas Trejo and Ashley N. Matson have beenindicted on
charges stemming from the Feb.. 4 robbery of the McDonald's.Each have been
charged with aggravated robbery, complicity to aggravatedrobbery, theft and
two counts of kidnapping. All charges except thetheft are first-degree
felonies. Matson, 22, and Trejo, 19, both of 214Saddlebrook in Delaware,
face a maximum 41 year prison sentence. Cross,19, of 1407 Cinnamon Drive, is
facing 56 years because each of thecharges carries a specification accusing
him of having the gun duringthe alleged robbery.According to law
enforcement reports, Cross allegedly snuck into therestaurant after hours
with a gun. Matson was an employee at the time.Trejo is accused of being the
driver for the group, which allegedly madeoff with several thousand
dollars."The police began an investigation immediately following the
robbery,"said Union County Prosecutor Dave Phillips. "It was focused (on
theCross, Matson and Trejo) relatively soon after."Like Trejo and
Matson, Robin Paul Higgenbotham is also facing 41 yearsin prison.
Higgenbotham, 44, whose only court listed address isTri-County Regional
Jail, has been indicted on 14 counts of forgery, 11counts of theft, five
counts of receiving stolen property, two counts ofpossession of cocaine and
one count of aggravated possession of drugs.,all felonies of the fifth
degree. Higgenbotham is also accused ofengaging in a pattern of corrupt
activity, a second-degree felony.According to the court documents, the drug
related activities took placebetween June 10 and August 1 of this year. The
other alleged offensesoccurred Sept. 16 and 17.Indicted with
Higgenbotham is Jeffrey R. Logan, 21, and Herman J.Nienhaus, 41, both of
whose only court listed address is Tri-CountyRegional Jail. Logan faces 4
counts of forgery, 11 counts of theft, fivecounts of receiving stolen
property, all felonies of the fifth degree,and one count of engaging in a
pattern of corrupt activity, asecond-degree felony for events that allegedly
took place between Sept.16, and Sept. 24. If convicted, Logan faces as many
as 38 years in a penitentiary.Nienhaus faces 12 years in prison on one
count of receiving stolenproperty, a fifth degree felony, one count of
forgery, a fifth degreefelony, one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt
activity, asecond-degree felony, and two counts of obstructing justice, both
fifthdegree felonies.Noah Carter, 25, of 509 W. Fifth St., is the last
of the defendants tobe indicted out of the investigation into Lee Dog's
Lockerroom. He ischarged with one count of trafficking in cocaine, a third
degree felony,and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, a first-degree
felony.William R. Bohaboy, 37, of 5594 Covington Meadows Drive, in
Westerville,is charged with three counts of importuning after allegedly
soliciting aperson, over 13 but younger than 16 years old, to have sex with
him.According to the court documents, the alleged incidents occurred
betweenDec. 1, of last year and May 1, of this year. He faces as many as
threeyears in prison if convicted.James Demoine Levalley, 25, and Rachel
Marie Kaple, 22, were indictedtogether for a series of events between May 5,
2006 and July 16 of thisyear. Levalley, of 670 Meadows Dr., is charged with
trafficking incocaine, a third-degree felony, theft, a fifth-degree felony,
grandtheft, a fourth-degree felony, and four counts of identification
fraud,three of them third-degree felonies and one a fifth. If convicted,
hefaces as many as 23 and a half years in prison.Kaple, of 620 Meadows
Drive, is charged with one count each of theft, afifth-degree felony, grand
theft, a fourth-degree felony, identificationfraud, a third-degree felony,
and trafficking in cocaine, a felony ofthe fourth degree.

Health
department offers trick or treat tipsFrom J-T staff reportsAs ghosts,
pirates and princesses prepare to descend on neighborhoodsacross Union
County for trick or treating, the Union County Chapter ofthe American Red
Cross and the Union County Health Department's SafeCommunities/Safe Kids
program offers parents some safety tips to helpprepare their children for a
safe and enjoyable holiday."By following a few simple safety tips, parents
can make this Halloweena safe and fun time for their little
trick-or-treaters," says LynneWhatley, local Red Cross executive director.
"Most Halloween injuriesare preventable if parents and children take some
simple precautions.""Children will be distracted by other costumes and the
thrill of gettingall those goodies," said Safe Communities/Safe Kids
CoordinatorElizabeth Fries. "Parents should accompany their children if at
allpossible and stay in familiar neighborhoods."The Red Cross advises
parents and children to follow the followingsafety tips " ... because
Halloween's greatest hazards aren't vampiresand villains, but falls, costume
mishaps and automobile collisions," said Whatley..Plan your route and
share it with your family. If possible, have anadult accompany
children..Wear light-colored or reflective-type clothing to increase
visibility.(And remember to put reflective tape on bikes, skateboards and
brooms!).Use face paint rather than masks or things that will cover
eyes..Cross the street only at corners..Look both ways before crossing
the street to check for cars and trucks(and low-flying brooms!)..Don't
hide or cross the street between parked cars..Walk, slither and sneak on
sidewalks; not in the street..Carry a flashlight to light the way..Visit
homes that have the porch light on..Keep away from open fires and candles.
(Keep in mind that costumes canbe extremely flammable.).Accept treats at
the door and never go into a stranger's home..Be cautious of strangers and
animals..Have a grownup inspect treats before eating. And don't eat candy if
thepackage is already opened. Small, hard pieces of candy are a
chokinghazard for young children.Safe Communities adds the following
tips for motorists:.Slow down in residential neighborhoods..Obey all
traffic signs and signals..Watch for children walking in the street or on
medians and curbs..Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and
carefully..Teach children to exit and enter the car on the curbside, away
from traffic.The Safe Communities program was developed through the Ohio
Departmentof Public Safety to establish and/or expand community partnerships
tocreate safer, healthier communities throughout Ohio.Additional
information may be obtained by contacting the Union CountyHealth Department
at 642-2053 or by stopping by the American Red CrossUnion County Chapter
House at 112 E. Fifth St.; calling the Red Cross at642-6651; or visiting the
Web site at www.redcross.org/oh/.Treats also are
available at the Red Cross during regular businesshours, Monday through
Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Oct. 31.

U-CO ready to have new
homeFrom J-T staff reportsWhat started as the dream of a group of Union
County residents about adecade ago has grown to affect many people's
attitudes and perceptionsof the people affected with developmental
disabilities.Originally located in a truck garage on Industrial Parkway and
then agymnasium of Broadway School, U-CO Industries was established as a
501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization in 1974. U-CO moved to its
currentlocation, 835 E. Fifth St., in 1976.Last week, the Union County
Board of Developmental Disabilities (UCBDD)and U-CO Industries, Inc. entered
into a historic agreement and reaffirmtheir mutual commitment to ensuring
services for adults withdisabilities in Union County. The two boards signed
a joint resolutionfor the new facility located at 16900 Square Drive,
Marysville."To our knowledge, nowhere else in Ohio has a non-profit board
purchaseda building and taken such creative steps to lay such an
incrediblefoundation on which to build a future for adults with
disabilities,"said UCBDD Superintendent Kim Miller.The newly renovated
facility is a 72,000-square-foot warehouse. The sitewill house several other
agencies such as WorkNet, Support Services, andother consumer businesses
such as File 13, Inc.The new facility, and what it represents to those
served by the UCBDD,is best expressed by U-CO employee Mamie Murphy who has
worked at thepresent location for more than 28 years."I can't wait to
have a real big new place to work. I have been here along-time and it's too
crowded here," she said.Other matters addressed at the joint meeting
included the approval of acontract with The Billing Connection for Medicaid
billing for 2008, andthe Union County Interagency Agreement on Transition
from EarlyIntervention (Part C) to Preschool Special Education Programs
(Part B)or Other Appropriate Services.Several changes and additions to
policy and health benefits for 2008were discussed and passed by the
board.For more information on UCBDD and its programs, services and
volunteeropportunities, contact Carol Scheiderer at 937-645-6733 orcscheiderer@ucbdd.org.

City
has different vision for siteOfficials want more offices, less
commercialBy RYAN HORNSMarysville leaders may put the clamp on the
retail aspects of the futureCook Property development.Located between
routes 4 and 31 on the city's north side, the propertyhas carried with it
rumors of national retail chains, grocery stores andmore, but at Thursday
night's Marysville City Council meeting, membersdiscussed why the Cook
Development needs changes.Planning Commission representative Alan Seymour
said the development wasrecently given favorable reviews, but they were
hesitant about thecommercial and retail portions of it. They recommended
that developersgo back and come up with a sketch plan more in tune with city
zoning.Councilman John Marshall said the Cook Property falls within his
ward,so he is concerned about following the Marysville Comprehensive
MasterPlan. His greatest concern was with the high amount of retail space.
Thecurrent sketch plan only calls for 18 percent office use."It was
intended to be mostly office, and not so much retail," he said."My request
is to give that a very hard serious look."Marshall said he is worried about
the impact increased retail might haveon neighbors and the potential traffic
issues.Councilman Mark Reams agreed that the Master Plan called for the land
to"be an office park.""I hate to see us take the last parcel and use it
for commercial when itshould be office," he said.Development
representatives, brothers Dean and Dave Cook, commented thismorning on the
plans for their property.They said the project is still in its "very early
stages" and theyremain open minded toward any of the city's
recommendations."We want to work with the city any way that we can," Dave
Cook said.The Cooks also mentioned that their father purchased the property
in the1960s, with the specific purpose of development some day.With Mill
Valley and Scott Farms located in the area, they said thereare more than
2,000 rooftops that need services currently not being provided.Both said
they hope to talk with city officials more and are lookingforward to the
next Planning Commission meeting in early November."We're local and we can
do it right. We want to do what is good for thecommunity," Dean Cook
said.Seymour explained to Reams during the council meeting that
sometimeswhen a parcel of land is already zoned, the city's "hands are
tied."Councilman John Gore said that perhaps the city should remain
receptiveto any commercial aspects. He added that there has been discussion
ofupdating the city's Comprehensive Master Plan. The document was
created in 1999."In the meantime," Seymour said about the plan. "We have
what we have.""I still have a hard time . without talking to the developer,"
Goresaid. "I have a tough time telling a landowner how they should
develop their land."Seymour agreed, saying that this discussion is
exactly what the PlanningCommission has been dealing with. The landowner has
his or her rightsand the city has its plans."Obviously, there are a
number of strong opinions there," Gore said.He recommended that city council
meet in a joint discussion with thePlanning Commission. No date was set for
that possibility.In a somewhat related issue, Marshal asked city
administrator KathyHouse about the status of East Point Plaza, which is the
location of theformer Big Bear/Wal-Mart stores. He said the building has
been vacantsince Big Bear moved out.Marshall wondered if the city has
received any inquiries on thebuilding, in the hopes it could be filled with
another business someday.House explained that there have been inquiries
in the past, but nothinghas come of it.Marshall said it would be good to
hear suggestions regarding thepossible redevelopment of the
area."Perhaps it would be worthwhile to kind of reinvent that site,"
Marshall said.He said the whole area has gone down hill, "with that
dinosaur sitting there."Seymour said that his personal view is that the
spot is prime location,but a reinvention of it is a good idea."It'll be
good when it does happen," he said.In other discussions:. House said the
city opened bids on the excavation project for thefuture water
Reservoir.She said Weaver Excavation came in as the winning bidder, with a
$6.7million price tag. That figure is "significantly under" the
originalengineers estimates for the cost. The project is expected to
beginconstruction this year, before January. The city plans to meet
withsurrounding neighbors to the site "very soon.". Council voted
against accepting the dedication of park land in Scottfarms from M/I Homes
of Central Ohio.Before the vote, members heard from city law director Tim
Aslaner whosaid that if council did not accept the land, then it could be
inviolation of the terms of the final plat and could be sued.He said the
planning commission passed the final plat in 1996, whichlisted the land to
be dedicated to the city as park land."We have no choice," Gore said."I
think that's what we're supposed to do," Aslaner said.Reams, who was on
planning commission in the late 1990s, said that hedid not recall the space
being park land. It was to be referred to as"green space." There is a
difference."I don't like voting with a gun to my head," Marshall said. "This
one isjust ugly because it is not park land."

Woman facing two years
after welfare fraudBy MAC CORDELLA Mississippi woman could be spending
time in an Ohio penitentiary aftershe admitted to welfare fraud.Cheryl
L. Grizzle, 42, of Ocean Springs, Miss., pleaded guilty Thursdayto two
counts of theft, both felonies of the fifth degree. She is facingas many as
two years in prison.Union County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Parrott
ordered apresentence investigation and set a sentencing hearing for Monday,
Nov.26. Defense council Perry Parsons said his client would waive
thepresentence investigation to get the matter resolved quickly.
Parrottsaid he could not, by law, sentence the woman to probation without
apresentence investigation. If the investigation were waived, the
womanwould have to go to prison. Parsons and the defendant agreed to
wait.The attorney did ask that his client be allowed to go to Tennessee
inNovember to attend to a court hearing about a car accident.Assistant
Union County Prosecutor Terry Hord said the state was notopposed to
releasing the woman on her own recognizance, as long as sheunderstood that
if she failed to appear for her next court date, thatwould be a separate
indictable offense."There has been full restitution to Union County Job and
Family Services," Hord said.The judge did release the woman on her own
recognizance but issued a stern warning."I want you to understand that if
you don't show up on Nov. 26, I amtelling you right now, when we catch you,
not if, when we catch you, youwill be sentenced to the whole amount,"
Parrott saidThe woman said she understood, then said she wanted to add
something."I am sorry for what I have done and I do realize it was wrong,"
Grizzle said."You can tell me that later," the judge told
her.According to court documents, Grizzle received more than $1,595
inoverpayments from Aid to Dependent Children and $666 in food
stampoverpayments between Feb. 1, and May 31, 2005. During that
period,Grizzle applied for and was granted ADC and food stamps because she
toldJob and Family Services representatives that her two sons were
livingwith her. If fact, at the time the sons were living in
Tennessee.Court documents indicate Grizzle and her husband were unemployed
at thetime, as were both sons, one of which was 18 at the time. The
juvenilewas being home schooled. Job and Family Services made several
attemptsto get family members jobs and job training, however, they failed
toshow up for the programs.Grizzle was indicted in Union County and
later arrested in JacksonCounty Mississippi. At that time, she waived
extradition to Ohio, butwhen she was set to be conveyed north, she said she
had a medicalproblem that prohibited her transport."Upon further
investigation and inquiry, it has been determined that shehas no medical
problem and used that as an excuse to avoid extradition,"according to court
documents.When she was finally returned to Ohio, bond was set at $50,000. At
thattime Hord wrote, "the state believes she is a significant flight risk
ifher bond is made."According to court documents, Grizzle has several
aliases, addresses andcontacts in several states and a criminal history that
includes arrestson drug charges, theft charges and burglary
charges.Following her arrest, Grizzle wrote a letter to the court
apologizingfor her actions. She called her living situation at the
time, "unstable."She said she, "was scared to let anything else change
until I had somesort of grasp or foothold on things. My boys have been in
and out of thehousehold. It's been nearly impossible for me to try to
provide for us all by myself."She said that she had medical issues that
required care she could notafford. She also said she was a full-time college
student, "trying toget a college degree in order to have a chance at a good
future."She said she had been living on student loans but was not enrolled
inschool that semester and so was not getting student aid."Please help
me make this right," the letter ended.Hord said he appreciated the woman
repaying the money, but said thistype of offense is a crime against the
entire community."We take welfare fraud very very seriously," said
assistant UnionCounty Prosecutor Terry Hord. "These are people who are
taking taxpayers' money. This is a crime that costs anybody who pays taxes
or whogets services from the state."

Board considers impact of new
Dublin hospitalBy CORINNE BIXMemorial Hospital of Union County is
keeping a conservative financialoutlook for 2008, as the new Dublin
Methodist Hospital is scheduled toopen in January.The board of trustees
approved in principle an initial draft of the 2008budget which is due to the
county commissioners by Nov. 1.Jeff Ehlers, chief financial officer,
presented the draft to the board.Ehlers explained that the projected budget
was allowing for someflexibility so that changes could be made once the
impact of the Dublinhospital can be measured."This is the first we have
had a competitor opening," Chip Hubbs, MHUCPresident/CEO, said. "We are
going to see a reduction of volume due toDublin Methodist."Hubbs added
that although conservative, there was no reason to believethat MHUC won't
have a great year in 2008.Ehlers said the draft budget would be fine-tuned
in the coming weeks,and any changes would only be improvements.For the
third year in a row, Memorial Hospital has opted to reallocatefunds
originally budgeted for medical staff and board member holidaygifts to
instead be donated to area not-for-profit groups.Up to $8,000 will be given
to local charities.Hubbs requested that local groups contact his office
directly and submita short letter explaining how their organization would
utilize additional funds.Those interested should contact Connie Priday,
Hubbs' administrativeassistant, at 578-2289 or Connie.Priday@memorialhosp.org.Carl
Zani, director of information services, and Mareva Page, directorof imaging,
presented information on the new central schedulingdepartment to open in the
spring.The new department will alleviate high call volumes and eliminate
phonetrees by directing all scheduling to one phone number.Page said no
external interface would be needed to tie in the new systemwhich has a
projected total cost of $38,280.MHUC is looking to house the new department
in the old sleep lab spaceadjacent to the hospital's wellness center.The
department will have between four and five employees. In addition tophone
etiquette training, those hired for the department will receivetraining
specific to understanding the services/tests for which they arescheduling
patients.Beginning in January, the central scheduling department's space
willundergo renovations and the system will be installed. The
completeddepartment is set to go live in April.Page said overall, the
goals will be to give patients only one phonenumber to call when scheduling
tests and procedures , resulting in moresatisfied customers because of the
timely manner in which appointments are made."We are trying to create a
better product, a better service and moreefficiency," Hubbs added.The
board took time to recognize outgoing board member PamelaWenning-Earp who
will be relocating to Arizona with her family.The board presented her with a
framed certificate of recognition, alongwith a gift
certificate.Wenning-Earp has served on the board of trustees since
2002.Hubbs said he expects the county commissioners to appoint someone
totake her place on the board within the next few months.Those hospital
employees and board members attending Thursday evening'sboard meeting had an
opportunity to vote on this year's MHUC Christmas card.This is the third
year that the hospital has asked a group of localstudents to submit entries
for the card.This year various students from Mill Valley Elementary and
CreekviewIntermediate in grades four through six participated in the
contest.The winner will be contacted this week and will receive a $100
SavingsBond and $50 gift certificate to Toys R'Us.The board adjourned
into executive session to discuss a trade secret ofa county hospital. No
action was taken.The next regular board of trustees meeting will be Nov. 29
at 8 p.m.In other business, the board:.Approved Dr. Mohammed Shareef -
pulmonology/critical care, departmentof medicine, courtesy provisional
status; Dr. James Underwood, DO -pediatrics - department of medicine -
active provisional..Approved Dr. Norman Raymond for a medical leave of
absence..Approved committee reports for finance and joint
conference..Received customer service data and the Urgent Care 12-month
summary..Approved CRNA Core..Approved completed re-appointments of
various medical staff..Received board of trustees bylaws for biannual review
to be discussedfurther at the next board meeting.

Bleacher theft may
lead to prison sentenceBy MAC CORDELLA false statement about a stolen
set of city bleachers could cost aMarysville woman a year in
prison.Natasha Conrad, 26, of 702 Meadows Drive, pleaded guilty Thursday to
onecount of falsification, a felony of the fifth degree. She faces as
manyas 12 months in prison. In exchange for the guilty plea,
prosecutorsdismissed a fifth-degree felony theft charge that could have
addedanother year to a possible prison sentence.The charges stemmed from
a Sept. 6, incident at the Singer Fire Station,620 N. Main St. According to
court documents, Conrad and her husbandBenjamin Conrad were in Marysville at
the mobile home park. BenjaminConrad had been talking about taking a set of
10-12 foot, three-tierbleachers from the Singer Station. The Conrads pulled
up to the stationand quickly loaded the aluminum bleachers, which belonged
to the city ofMarysville, on their truck.A pair of passerbys were able
to help police find the bleacher bandits."Two witnesses to the truck and the
occupants being parked at theaddress were able to give police a description
of the truck and theoccupants," according to court documents.The duo
took the bleachers to a salvage facility in Delaware and soldthem for scrap
metal. The Conrads sold the bleachers, valued at $1,150 for $78.50.An
employee at the salvage facility was able to describe the truck,which
matched the description given by the witnesses in Marysville, andprovide
investigators with a license plate number and description of
the Conrads.Later that day, police stopped the truck and arrested
Benjamin Conradand Natasha Conrad. The pair gave investigators conflicting
reportsabout the events of that day."Benjamin confessed to stealing the
bleachers," according to a policereport. "Natasha at first denied the theft,
but later also confessed tobeing with Benjamin when the bleachers were
stolen and sold."Ultimately, Natasha Conrad told police the theft was
Benjamin Conrad'sidea and that she told him to stop when the pair was
seen.While her husband has pleaded guilty to theft, it was the lie to
policethat got Natasha Conrad in trouble.According to the falsification
indictment, Natasha Conrad was chargedbecause she, "did knowingly make a
false statement or knowingly swear oraffirm the truth of a false statement
previously made, when thestatement is made with purpose to commit or
facilitate the commission of a theft."Union County Court of Common Pleas
Judge Richard Parrott has ordered apresentence investigation on both
Benjamin and Natasha Conrad. Parrottalso set a sentencing hearing for
Natasha Conrad on Monday, Nov. 26.Benjamin Conrad's sentencing hearing is
set for the next day.

Local Red Cross
volunteer responds to scene of
wildfiresBy MAC CORDELLAs Union County Red Cross staff members scurried
from closet to closetlooking for shirts and a windbreaker jacket, one
volunteer sat in theconference room fidgeting in her seat.Ginny Watters,
of the Raymond area, was gladly accepting the shirts andother small supplies
being offered to her, but she had a long flightahead of her and was eager to
get on her way.A volunteer with the local chapter of the American Red Cross
for about ayear, Watters was headed to the Sunshine State, where things
haven'tbeen so sunny recently. The retired TRC employee is doing her part
tohelp those in California.Southern California has been hit hard by
wildfires which have caused atleast $1 billion in damage in San Diego County
alone, officials saidWednesday, and easing wind gave firefighters hope that
they could beginto gain ground against the flames.The fires, in their
fifth day, have destroyed 1,500 homes and caused atleast a half-million
people to flee - the largest evacuation in statehistory. At least 1,200 of
the damaged homes were in San Diego County,and officials believe that number
will rise.It is those 500,000 people forced to leave their home for the
safety ofa Red Cross shelter that Watters hopes to help.Tuesday, the
American Red Cross sent a bulletin to all its localchapters calling for
help. The relief organization needed volunteersthat had already been through
the background checks, physical screeningsand training to help at the Red
Cross.Union County Red Cross Executive Director Lynn Whatley said
sheimmediately thought of Watters."I said, 'Yes, put me on the alert,'"
Watters said.She said she called her husband, who is out of state, and let
him knowwhat was going on. While this is her first experience going to
adifferent part of the country to help with disaster relief, it is
theexact reason she got involved with the Red Cross."One of the reasons
I took retirement at the earliest opportunity wasbecause I wanted to be able
to do this kind of thing, so I am reallyexcited to get busy and get
helping," Watters said.Shortly after her retirement a year ago, Watters
contacted the localchapter to help. Since then, she has volunteered with the
chapter andtaken classes to prepare her for just such an
assignment.Whatley learned Wednesday morning that Watters' application to
help hadbeen accepted. Watters was immediately scheduled to fly out of
Columbusthat afternoon and be on the ground in California by
evening."They could have me doing anything, but I think I will be helping at
theshelter, just lending a hand," Watters said.The local Red Cross
chapter was responsible for all the coordinationefforts to facilitate the
deployment. Expenses, including Watter'sairfare, food, and lodging will be
picked up by The American Red CrossNational Headquarters.Watters is
scheduled to be home Nov. 14, but realizes she could returnhome as quickly
as she was sent."They may shut down a lot of shelters early and send people
home early,"Watters said. "It is hard to tell."Either way, Whatley said
she is proud to have Watters represent UnionCounty in California."It is
really special to be able to be part of a bigger nationalcommunity," Whatley
said. "Today it is California where people are beingsent. Someday, people
will have to come to Union County. It is not aquestion of if, it is when our
local community will need services."

Sheriff evaluates Code Red systemBy RYAN HORNSThe new Union County
Sheriff's Office Code Red emergency system canbring out the best and the
worst in people.The system utilizes a phone database of Union County
residents to callevery household in a specific neighborhood or in the entire
county,depending upon where an emergency situations is occurring and who
it affects.Union County Sheriff Rocky Nelson said since it began, there
have been afew "nasty" letters from residents regarding the unexpected
calls, butthe majority of people have offered praise for being kept up to
date onemergencies. Numerous county schools have also asked to join
up.Nelson said if the majority of residents eventually decide that Code
Redis a burden, he can always stop funding it. Until then, the system
isworking quite well.He added that residents may also opt out by
contacting the Union CountySheriff's Office through e-mail or by calling and
making a request to be removed.Union County Sheriff's Office
communications director Anne Barr warnedthat being taken off the database
could mean those residents would loseaccess to important emergency
notices."You're either all in, or you're all out," she said.Nelson said
if there is a tool law enforcement can use to immediatelyget the word out to
residents about emergencies that directly impacttheir neighborhoods, how
could they not use it? He said the system isabout awareness. If one resident
turns on a porch light at night becauseof receiving a Code Red alert message
on their phone, then it's worth it.On Oct. 10 Code Red had its first
full-on test, when two differentcrimes affected nearby residential areas.
The day started off with a manwho ran from deputies during a random traffic
stop.Nelson said at 7 p.m. the Union County Sheriff's Office issued an
alertvia telephone to inform a small amount of residents along the area
ofMcPeck Road and Route 739 that a man had fled from deputies and
wasmaking his way through the area.Barr said that because of the Code
Red alert, deputies received threecalls from residents who tipped off
deputies to the criminal's location.The first was a woman who said the man
had just asked her child for aride to Byhalia. The family had refused and
the man fled.The office received another two calls from drivers who
witnessed thepotential suspect taking his shirt off at the bridge on
Shirtzer Road."So (Code Red) worked perfect," Nelson said.At 9:28 p.m.
another Code Red message went out to inform residents thatthere was no
defined cause for the man to flee the traffic stop and thatdeputies were
still searching. The suspect ultimately evaded authoritiesand was never
found."It's my job to keep people informed, as much as I can," Nelson
said."Especially when it concerns their safety and welfare . Who knew
thatlater we would have to do it again in another area."On the night of
Oct. 10 two inmates escaped from West Central CommunityCorrectional facility
on Route 4.Two calls went out through Code Red regarding the fleeing men.
The firstwas at 10:45 p.m., informing 897 residents that the men were in
theirarea. The second call went out the next morning on Oct. 11 at 6:45
a.m.to 1,446 people, informing them that the convicts were still on
theloose. Not everyone appreciated the early morning wake up call.Nelson
said it made sense to inform residents while they were gettingready for
work. Many could be going out to the barn that morning to thefeed animals,
or climb into their cars to go to work and find twoescaped prisoners. He
said a surprised convict is more dangerous."Their excitement levels are
often very high when they are on the run,"Nelson said. "They don't always
make the best decisions."The Union County Sheriff's Office is not the only
area which hasreceived some complaints.Marysville Police Chief Floyd
Golden said a few residents proved to bemore concerned with their favorite
television show, than with a missingtoddler wandering around their Mill
Valley neighborhood during athunderstorm earlier this year.The
department's cable alert service is often used to cut into localprogramming,
in order to inform residents of emergency situationssimilar to Code
Red.Golden said the situation was serious, but thanks to the cable
alertsystem, a resident called and the child was soon safe at home.But
Golden said that didn't stop one resident from complaining to policeabout
missing part of a television show.

Man caught allegedly stealing
medicationFrom J-T staff reportsA Marysville man was caught red-handed
when a detective was waiting forhim inside a home he
burglarized.Marysville Police reported today that an investigation into the
theft ofprescription medications over the past few weeks from a Grove Court
homeended in the arrest of Michael J. Carpenter.Carpenter, 35, of 33
Grove Court, was apprehended inside the homeWednesday at 6:45 p.m. after a
Marysville police detective observed himenter the house and take a
prescription of Vicodin from the kitchen.Det. Don McGlenn said today that he
knew the home's residents planned onbeing away most of the night. McGlenn
said, on a hunch, he decided tokeep an eye on the place. The hunch paid
off."Just minutes after the residents left the home, the suspect
wasobserved entering the residence with a key and taking control of
aprescription bottle," police reported. "The investigator was inside
thehome at the time of the arrest and held the suspect until
patrolofficers arrived to assist."Carpenter's mother, a neighbor to the
victims, had been assisting theelderly couple at various times with
transportation.Police reported that they believe Carpenter may have taken
the house keywhile his mother was attending to the couple.Carpenter was
arraigned today in Marysville Municipal Court and receiveda $25,000 bond for
one count of burglary, a second-degree felony. Ifconvicted, Carpenter faces
as many as eight years in prison.Police reported that the investigation is
ongoing and additional chargesare expected to be filed in the
case.

Mayoral candidate meets with citizensBy RYAN HORNS"We
invited all of the mayoral candidates," resident Don Bergwall joked."And
we're very fortunate that they all showed up."On Wednesday night
Marysville's only mayoral candidate Chris Schmenk metwith about two dozen
invited citizens and community leaders for an OpenForum held at the
Marysville Public Library. The night provided insighton her plans and vision
for the city.Schmenk said she has already been going door-to-door, talking
toresidents about what they expect from her."It's not going to be a
small job for you to transform things," residentMyron Gallogly said to
her.When she thinks of Marysville, Schmenk said she thinks of a city with
arich agricultural heritage that has prospered because of its
goodhard-working people."But we're starting to get discovered," Schmenk
said. "There has been arapid increase of population."Growth can be good,
she said, if it is managed well. This meansincluding plenty of green space
and open land. It also means notexpanding beyond the city's financial means
and making sure to studywhat other communities in a similar positions have
done to come out ahead.Schmenk said she hopes to focus on issues that
affect senior citizens,help the school district, connect sidewalks for
children to walk toschool and make sure people feel safe by helping the fire
and police services.Residents also brought up issues which have impacted
them during currentMayor Tom Kruse's term."A big issue with the current
administration is how they deal withpeople," Gallogly said. "I'd like to see
restored treating people withintegrity, regardless of the mission . It has
been lost."Schmenk said her first job as an attorney out of college was with
theWendy's Corporation. She thought it was a great step for her
career.Then on her first day the company sent her on a mission to work
behindthe counter at a local Wendy's restaurant. It was a lesson in
beinghumble and learning how to treat people with respect."Customers
come first," Schmenk said. "This city has to be a customerservice
organization."A Jerome Township resident and farmer said he has had
experience dealingwith both Union County and Marysville
officials."Working with the county has been a pleasure," he said. "The city
not so much."He hopes to see the city's attitude change toward its
farming community.A husband and wife said their farm land is affected by
the new reservoirproject. They have had issues with dealing with
Marysville's bureaucracyand its attitude of ordering people around."It
has been jammed down our throat," the wife said."I can't tell a lie. I am
honest," Schmenk said. "I always listen towhat people have to say and I will
require that of city employees too.""Well, hopefully we'll look forward to
working with you," the wife said.Union County Engineer Steve Stolte said
how Marysville deals withtownships is an issue. A better relationship is
needed.Schmenk said she feels that county, townships and Marysville
aredirectly tied to one another."I already feel like I have a good
relationship with (the townships),"she said. "To me, Marysville cannot act
like an island. It is part of abigger picture."Regarding the growth down
the U.S. 33 and U.S. 42 corridor, she saidgrowth is happening fast. When it
come to issues such as annexation, shesaid "we shouldn't just reach out and
grab. Growth needs to be slow and deliberate.""Growth can be good if we
work with other officials," Schmenk said. "Iwant Union County to have
benefits of that growth, rather than Dublin or Columbus."One man brought
up how Schmenk is still employed full-time at The ScottsMiracle-Gro Company
and is involved on the Memorial Hospital of UnionCounty board. He wondered
how she plans to make time for being mayor."Many people have asked me that.
Especially my husband," she joked. "ButI am very fortunate to work for a
company which will allow me the time to be mayor."Schmenk said she does
not plan to be a leader who is always dictatingand demanding what should be
done. When going door to door, she washappy to find that residents are
willing to do whatever it takes to help her."There is a lot of talent in
this community," one man said. "All youhave to do is source it."Schmenk
said community involvement with its government is important andshe hopes to
hear from a lot of people.Resident Lloyd Baker, who helped organize the
forum with Bergwall, askedSchmenk about the city's significant debt load and
how she plans to deal with it.Schmenk said she still has a lot to learn
when it comes to understandingthe city's financial situation, but she is
against borrowing unless itis necessary in the long run. The city should be
able to function in away to pay for the smaller things."It doesn't make
sense to borrow to pave streets," she said, "or borrowto buy a police
cruiser."The city has had to borrow a lot of money, she said, and it will be
herjob to make sure that residents' money is managed very well."What the
city wants to be has not been articulated," Bergwall said.Schmenk said the
plan is to figure out what the city needs to be andthen make that a
reality.Another key aspect of her term as mayor, Schmenk said, is to
beaccessible to residents.She plans to keep the public forum open.
Another forum has beenscheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 30 from 2 p.m. to 3:30
p.m. at theMarysville Public Library's Conference Room A.Schmenk said a
Columbus City Council member often invites residents tojog along with her in
the morning and talk about issues. That issomething that sounds good to her
- to keep relationships with residentsinformal and out of the
office.

Local housing market may be hard to labelBy MAC CORDELLThe real estate
market is clearly in a slump. Or maybe it isn't locally.Or maybe it
is.Whether Union County is going through the downturn in the housing
marketwith much of the rest of the country is largely dependent on who
you ask."It is still good," local real estate agent Meg Michel said. "The
pressyou hear are responding to the east coast and west coast and
pocketswhere you had scams."And Dana Garrett, an agent with HER Real
Living and ex-officiao of theUnion County Association of Realtors, says
don't even bother asking herabout business."I am probably a little
biased because I am having my best year ever inthe business, listing and
selling, so I can't go along with the factthat the market is down."But
not everyone agrees with the rosy outlook of those who have a vestedinterest
in convincing the public everything is fine.According to the Union County
Recorders office, recorded deeds have seena decline the last two years. In
1998, the recorders office recorded2,319 deeds. The number steadily
increased to 2,756 in 2005. However, in2006, that number fell to 2,329 and
currently stands at 1,632 for 2007.Union County Recorder Teresa Markham said
November and December aretraditionally low volume months."That is quite
a bit," Markham said of the slide. "We haven't been below2,000 in quite some
time. I can't see us recording 400 in the rest ofthe year to get to 2,000,
so yes, we are down I would say."Union County Engineer Steve Stolte said he
has also seen a slowdown inthe number of single family building permits
issued by his office."Since 2003, we have seen a steady decline in the
number of singlefamily home permits," Stolte said.He said Union County
went through a slowdown in the late 1990, but sawsteady growth in the early
2000s. Single family home permits peaked inUnion County with 580, Stolte
said. Last year, the engineer's officeissued 273 new housing permits. Based
on numbers through September ofthis year, Stolte expects to issue about 220
permits in 2007. Stolte didsay he could see the decline, "starting to level
off a bit."Stolte said that what permits are being requested are coming from
thelarger home builders like M/I and Dominion."The smaller ones have
really fallen off," Stolte said.Michel said the perception of a failing
mortgage market has actuallydone the most damage to the housing
industry."A lot more people are sitting tight and being more
conservative,"Michel said of sellers.The liberal buying and lending of
the past has caused another problem.The number of Union County homes in
foreclosure is also up. According tostatistics from the Union County Common
Pleas Court, in 1998, the countyhad 45 home foreclosures. In 1999 the number
rose to 71 and hascontinued to rise to 259 in 2005 and 279 in 2006. Union
County has seen232 foreclosure cases filed or reactivated through September
of 2007. Tobe fair, there are more homeowners in Union County than 10 years
ago,but foreclosure rates have outpaced the rate of growth.The
foreclosures combined, with the proliferation of subdivisions andspeculation
building in the early part of the decade has created anoverage. That overage
had driven the price of homes down even further.Fortunately for Union
County, local industry has made the areaattractive for
relocators."Looking all over, it is everywhere," said Garrett. "There is an
overageof houses in the market, but we have a lot of relocations here. We
havea large number of big industries around us, how could we not
haverelocation here."Michel said that while the number of buyers "moving
up" in homes wasdown, the number of relocations to the area has been on the
rise,keeping the market steady.While her business is booming, Garrett
realizes all is not as good forother real estate agents."I am seeing
other Realtors getting second jobs," Garrett said. "I amseeing other
Realtors struggling to make the numbers they have in the past."Garrett
said prices have not risen they way they had in the past."It has definitely
changed in pricing, but there are definitely stillbuyers and still sellers.
You just have to adjust."Garrett said she feels local house values are not
appreciating the last18 months to two years the way they have in the past.
She saidtraditionally, homes in Union County have appreciated about
threepercent annually while the last 18 months, homes have
appreciatedbetween one and a half and two percent.Michel said many of
the houses were never really worth what the buyerpaid. She said many banks
offered no down payment and no closing costs.Those costs were rolled into
the cost of the home."The true value of the home was really what they paid,
minus all thoseextra costs added in," Michel said.She added that many
homeowners have borrowed against the value of theirhome, meaning they owe
more than their house is worth."If you are going to borrow 120 percent of
the appraised value of yourhome, it's no surprise you can't sell your
house."Publicity around the housing crunch has given buyers a false
expectationthe real estate agents say."Not every seller is as desperate
as the media is putting out there,"Garrett said, referring to the perception
that many buyers are in overtheir head having bought too big a house on a
now escalating adjustablerate mortgage.Garrett added, buyers, "could be
shooting themselves in the foot bycontinuing to lowball and slapping buyers
in the face. Buyers are tryingto get something for nothing."She quickly
added, however that buyers are likely to find a bargain ifthey look long
enough."If buyers keep going with lowballing sellers, somebody is going to
bein a position where they have to take it," Garrett said.Michel said
bargain shoppers, making "ridiculously low" offers, need toknow where to
look."There are some bargains out there where people can't afford to
wait.But these are in the subdivisions, not in the country."Michel added
that if you have some money, "it is a good time to buy someof these
bargains."Both real estate agents complemented local governments for
keepinghousing under control in the area."I think the city has done a
good job controlling the new constructionin a timely manner," Garrett
said.Michel added, "I think the slowdown in the subdivisions is a
goodthing," Michel said. "Let the schools get a break. Let commercial
catchup. We will never be as cheap as some of the houses on the west side
ofColumbus. That has never been our goal. Nice, quality developments
thatmeets the need of the people, we can always use them."Stolte said
that while people are not buying, they are making changes."We have seen the
number of alterations and additions has not fallen offas fast." Stolte said.
"People seem to be doing more alterations thanbuilding new
houses."Michel offered advice for those looking to buy to make certain when
theywant to sell, they can."As always, buy location," Michel offered.
"Buy in a subdivision thatwill always have something special. Buy a lot that
has something special."

Child support offenders targetedBy MAC
CORDELLA pair of local men have pleaded guilty to not supporting
their children.Between Paul E. Combs and Thomas David West, they owe
more than $37,838in back child support payment for their children."We
take nonsupport very seriously in this county," said Union CountyProsecutor
David Phillips. "These men have a legal and moral obligationto support their
children. If they do not follow the orders of thecourt, if they decide to
break the law, we are going to go after them."Ultimately our goal is to get
these men to pay their obligation, but ifthey don't, if they continue to
refuse to defy the orders of the court,we are going to ask the judge to send
them to prison, both as apunishment to the offender and as a deterrent to
others."West, 50, of 20 Sherman Ave., in Mansfield, pleaded guilty to
fivecounts of fifth-degree felony criminal nonsupport. If convicted,
hecould be sentenced to as many as five years in prison.Combs, 40, of
263 W. Third St., in Marysville, is facing as many as 41/2years in prison
after pleading guilty to three counts of fourth-degreefelony criminal
nonsupport. Charges against Combs are more seriousbecause he has a prior
conviction on a 2003 charge of the same offense.A sentencing recommendation
from the state suggests to the judge thatCombs should serve three years in
prison."We are entering a plea, but we do not enter into a
sentencingagreement," defense attorney Dorothy Liggett-Pelanda told Union
CountyCommon Pleas Court Judge Richard Parrott at the time of the guilty
plea.She said her client did not contest the charges which include that
heowes 12,350.34 in child support, but she added, "we do not feel
(prison)is in the best interest of the minor child."Liggett-Pelanda said
her client has been making, "semi-regular" paymentsbut has applied for
Social Security because he has several medical issues.Prosecutors have
recommended three years community service for West, whoowes 25,488.65 for
three children in Union County. He was being held inTri-County Regional Jail
in-lieu of $5,000 bond. When asked by thejudge, the man said he had no prior
convictions for criminal nonsupport.Since no prison time was recommended for
the defendant, Parrott orderedhim released on his own
recognizance."There is no sense, you racking up a bunch of time I am going
to makeyou pay for in Tri-County," Parrott said.The judge then offered a
warning to the man."If you get rabbit in your blood and you run, you are
going to take thefull load. It's that simple," Parrott said.Both men
have been scheduled for sentencing hearings in Novemberfollowing presentence
investigations.

Spotlight Theatre Co. to present The Legend of Sleepy
HollowFrom J-T staff reportsSpotlight Theatre Company, Union County's
nonprofit community theatreorganization, will bring the classic fall family
production, "The Legendof Sleepy Hollow," to life just in time for the
Halloween season.More than 45 local actors, children and crew will present
the play atVeterans Memorial Auditorium, 233 W. Sixth St., Friday, Saturday
andSunday and Nov. 2, 3 and 4. Friday and Saturday shows will begin at
7p.m., and Sunday shows will begin at 2 p.m.Adapted by Clay Presley from
the story by Washington Irving, theSpotlight Theatre Company version of the
classic Halloween tale presentsIchabod Crane, a nervous and superstitious
sort, as the new schoolmasterassigned to Sleepy Hollow, a small town. He
sets his eyes on Katrina,the eldest daughter of rich farmer Baltus Van
Tassel. But Katrina isalready "claimed" by Brom Bones, the biggest bully in
town.As Ichabod woos the fair Katrina, Brom schemes to regain what
heconsiders his rightful place. With the help of a little stage magic
withthe infamous headless horseman, a pumpkin and Ichabod bring the show
to its climax."We encourage everyone to plan to see the show, as it is
truly a familyshow," said Kim Sobas, Spotlight's president. "Live theater is
somethingeveryone should experience, and we enjoy families being involved in
theentire production process. We welcome anyone in our community who
wouldlike to participate."Reserved seating may be purchased in advance
at Creative Traveline at644-8188 or general seating purchased the day of the
show at theauditorium box office. There is a fee for
admission.Additional information may be obtained by contacting Sobas
at(937)537-6163 or Karen Iden at (740)272-7928.Spotlight Theater Company
members have contributed financially andvoluntarily to help improve the
community by assisting otherorganizations such as the Union County Family
YMCA, Veteran's MemorialAuditorium, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, the
Marysville Food Pantry andthe Union County Child Assault Prevention
Project.Spotlight also is a member of the Union County Chamber of Commerce,
OhioCommunity Theatre Association and the Theatre Roundtable of
Central Ohio.

Super ateBed bugs reported at local motelBy MAC CORDELLGood night.
Sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite.It's not just a nursery rhyme, but
also words of wisdom for those aboutto lay their head to slumber at one
local motel.Jason Orcena, public information officer at the Union County
HealthDepartment confirmed Monday that the Super 8 Motel, 16510 Square
Drive,has bed bugs, or at least had them. According to documents at the
healthdepartment, "several complaints were received concerning bed bugs,"
atthe local motel in August."Our sanitarians went out there," Orcena
said. "They investigated and inthe course of their investigation, they did
find some signs of possible bed bugs."Exterminators were called to the
motel and the rooms were inspected.According to the exterminator's report,
several rooms had bed bugs onthe head boards, mattress and box spring. In
one room, it was written,"bed bugs found throughout room."Exterminators
treated not only rooms where the bugs were found, but alsosome adjoining
rooms at the motel manager's request, according todocuments from the
exterminator.Mark Patel, general manager of the motel said there was only
one roomwhere bugs were found. He said that room was closed off for two
weeksand remains on an extermination schedule. He said several other
roomswere cleaned, but only as a precaution. When asked about other
roomsidentified in the exterminator's report, he said it must have been
amiscalculation on their part."We had only one isolated incident," Patel
said.He said the motel receives monthly extermination for all sorts of
pests."They come out once every two weeks to make sure it doesn't become
anissue," Patel said.He said motel officials had already contacted the
exterminator about thebed bugs before the health department contacted
him."We are taking care of it," Patel said. "We have already taken care
of it."Orcena said the motel has worked well with the health department
tobring the situation under control."We did our follow up investigation
and did not find any signs of bedbugs at Super 8," Orcena said.Bed bugs
are nocturnal blood-feeding insects. When hungry, bed bugssearch for a host
and feed while the host is asleep. Using their sharpbeak, they pierce the
skin of a host. They inject a salivary fluidcontaining a blood pooling agent
that helps with their meal. The fastmovers will feed, usually 10 to 15
minutes for the adults, then crawlaway to a hiding place."Bed bugs hide
during the day in dark, protected sites," according tothe Ohio State
University Extension Office. "They seem to prefer fabric,wood, and paper
surfaces. They usually occur in fairly close proximityto the host, although
they can travel far distances. Bed bugs initiallycan be found about tufts,
seams, and folds of mattresses, laterspreading to crevices in the bedstead.
In heavier infestations, theyalso may occupy hiding places farther from the
bed."When traveling, OSU officials suggest motel-goers inspect their room
aswell as adjacent rooms."A bed bug infestation can be recognized by
blood stains from crushedbugs or by rusty (sometimes dark) spots of
excrement on sheets andmattresses, bed clothes, and walls," according to the
web site. "Fecalspots, eggshells, and shed skins may be found in the
vicinity of theirhiding places. An offensive, sweet, musty odor from their
scent glandsmay be detected when bed bug infestations are severe."The
key to controlling bed bugs is to not allow them in your home. Thiscan be
difficult if a motel room has them and they are transferred fromthe room to
an occupant's luggage, from the luggage to the home."Do not bring infested
items into one's home," according to theextension office's Web site. "It is
important to carefully inspectclothing and baggage of travelers, being on
the lookout for bed bugs andtheir tell-tale fecal spots. Also, inspect
secondhand beds, bedding, andfurniture. Caulk cracks and crevices in the
building exterior and alsorepair or screen openings to exclude birds, bats,
and rodents that canserve as alternate hosts for bed bugs."Sanitation
measures include frequently vacuuming the mattress,laundering bed clothes in
hot water, as well as cleaning and sanitizingthe entire house."After
vacuuming, immediately place the vacuum cleaner bag in a plasticbag, seal
tightly, and discard in a container outdoors-this preventscaptured bed bugs
from escaping into the home, according to informationfrom the OSU Extension
office. "A stiff brush can be used to scrub themattress seams to dislodge
bed bugs and eggs. Discarding the mattress isanother option, although a new
mattress can quickly become infested ifbed bugs are still on the
premises."While reactions can be varying, the bed bug's bite is almost
alwayspainless. A small, hard, swollen, white welt may develop at the site
ofeach bite. The welts last for several hours to days and can be
veryitchy. Scratching may cause the welts to become infected."Rows of
three or so welts on exposed skin are characteristic signs ofbed bugs,"
according to the extension office web site. "Welts do nothave a red spot in
the center such as is characteristic of flea bites.Some individuals respond
to bed bug infestations with anxiety, stress,and insomnia. Bed bugs are not
known to transmit disease."Locating the bugs is important to get rid of
them."A thorough inspection of the premises to locate bed bugs and
theirharborage sites is necessary so that cleaning efforts and
insecticidetreatments can be focused," according to information from the
Ohio StateUniversity Extension Office. "Inspection efforts should
concentrate onthe mattress, box springs, and bed frame, as well as crack and
crevicesthat the bed bugs may hide in during the day or when digesting a
bloodmeal. The latter sites include window and door frames, floor
cracks,carpet tack boards, baseboards, electrical boxes, furniture,
pictures,wall hangings, drapery pleats, loosened wallpaper, cracks in
plaster andceiling moldings. Determine whether birds or rodents are nesting
on ornear the house."

Marysville lays out participation feesBy
KARLYN BYERSWill Marysville School District student athletes and pupils
whoparticipate in extra curricular activities be assessed larger fees
toengage in their activities of choice?It could
happen.Superintendent Larry Zimmerman told school board members at
Mondaynight's regularly scheduled board meeting that if the
district's4.75-mill, five-year operating levy doesn't pass Nov. 6, many of
thedistrict's programs and activities will be impacted.It's what he has
been saying for a couple months now, but Monday nightZimmerman presented
board members with estimated costs incurred in thetransportation of athletes
and others."This would be one of those choices school board members will
have tomake if the Nov. 6 levy doesn't pass," he said.Zimmerman
explained a list of possible "student user fees" that would berecommended if
costs need to be reduced after the election. Dubbed"travel fees" the costs
would offset costs incurred when a group usesdistrict
transportation.Travel fees would include $200 per participant in band; $150
perparticipant for football, basketball, wrestling, swimming and
showchoir; $125 per participant for cross country, baseball, softball
andtrack; $100 per participant in volleyball, tennis and FFA; $60
perparticipant in golf and Mock Trial; and $50 per participant in ski
club.Costs for the In The Know team have yet to be determined.The fees
are approximate costs, according to Zimmerman, but are based onthe number of
trips taken per group, the length of the trip (milesdriven) and the duration
of the trip (time required for the bus driver).The fees would be coupled
with the district's pay-to-participate feewhich is currently $25 per
activity. This fee has not been increasedsince it was first implemented in
1990, according to Zimmerman.He said the average pay-to-participate fee in
Central Ohio is $150 peractivity. If the Nov. 6 levy is defeated,
Marysville's cost cutting/costsaving measures considered would be to
increase its pay-to-participatefee up to $150.Even if the board decides
to keep the pay-to-play fee lower - forexample, $50, $75 or $100 - the total
travel fee/pay-to-participate coststill represents a higher cost than is
currently being paid, Zimmerman said.The board also approved the
district's five-year financial forecast aspresented by treasurer Delores
"Dee" Cramer.The forecast has to be submitted to the state before the end of
October.It is a "fairly fluid" document, according to Cramer, because
thedistrict is looking at increases in gasoline, heating fuel and
waterrates but is not sure of the amounts.Not many people are aware of
it, Cramer said, but if the Nov. 6 levy isdefeated, the school district will
lose a full year of collectingrevenue because of the way funds are
disbursed."You can see the effect of it not passing in November," she
said.In other business, Zimmerman said that the school district was
recentlycommended by SABO/LIMBACH Energy Services for its energy
efficiency."I am currently monitoring utility bills for (more than) 60
districts inOhio, and Marysville Exempted Village Schools have the lowest
gas usageof any new buildings," read a communiqué from Tony Van Gundy,
directorof information systems.Van Gundy also commended Jeff Wargo,
district director of maintenance,and his staff for maintaining district
buildings in a cost consciousmanner.

Plain City officials
vote to authorize numerous raisesBy MAC CORDELLFollowing opinions from
the Ohio Ethics Commission and prosecutors fromboth Union and Madison
County, village council in Plain City hasincreased the mayor's
salary.The council then approved pay increases for all village
employees.Not to be left out, council also approved a compensation increase
foritself, though that raise will not be effective until Jan. 1, 2010
forsome council members and not until 2012 for two others.Council
approved 2.5 percent raises for all police officers, includingpolice
chief/village administrator Steve Hilbert, and all public worksemployees.
The police and public works departments still have salarysteps to reward
years of service. Each step was raised 2.5 percent.Hilbert, who has been
head of the village police department since 1996,is the longest serving
police chief in either Union or Madison County.The chief's salary is not on
a step system.Fiscal officer Renee VanWinkle will also receive a raise, to
$38,950from $32,595. VanWinkle's raise was larger than 2.5 percent in an
effortto bring her compensation package closer in line with that of others
insimilar positions in the area.Council president pro-tem said the
raises were, "consistent withrecommendations from the personnel and finance
committee." Employeeraises passed unanimously.In an effort to make the
measure effective before the Nov. 6, electioncouncil passed the mayor's
salary increase as an emergency measure.Compensation for the mayor,
effective Jan. 1 when the next mayoral termbegins, will be $15,000 per year,
up from $8,000.Council discussed the increase several weeks ago, but wanted
to seek anethics opinion since current mayor Sandy Adkins is the only
candidaterunning for the position in November."We had to wait for that,"
said Village Solicitor Michael McCarthy ofthe ethics commission's ruling.
"While inconvenient, that is how they operate."McCarthy said the OEC saw
no problem with the raise as long as it was preelection.Council passed
the mayoral salary increase by a vote of 5-1, withcouncilwoman Barb Long
voting against the resolution.The council also passed its raise from $100
per meeting to $150 permeeting by a vote of 5-1. Chris Johnston voted
against the increase.Village Council is moving forward with zoning code
changes that wouldallow an indoor soccer training facility to move into the
village. KevinDougherty, director of coaching for Ohio Premiere Girls Soccer
Club saidthe group was hoping to move into the 37,000 square feet warehouse
at250 S. Jefferson St., in the village, on the southwest corner of U.S.
42 and Route 161."We have a lot of things we can offer to the village,"
said Dougherty."We would like to be able to come to Plain City and be part
of this community."He said the club would have a 29 month contract with
the building ownerwith potential for a longer commitment.Since the
property is zoned Industrial and carries a specificprohibition on athletic
training facilities, council would need to makeathletic training facilities
a permitted conditional use. To change thezoning district a public hearing,
which cannot occur until 30 days afternotice is posted, is required. The
hearing will be held Nov. 26. Waltersaid the board of zoning appeals would
have the final decision, butcould meet the following evening to expedite the
matter.Gary Kay, managing partner of Jefferson Street Properties, asked if
hecould begin making modifications to the building to expedite the
processonce the change has been approved."I think we would rather follow
the village requirements for thevillage's protection, for your client's
protection," said Walter.Committee positions were also discussed at the
meeting. Adkins informedthe council that Uptown Plain City Organization
president Jason Milliganwas resigning the position. She said he would remain
active with thegroup, but did not want to lead it any longer. The mayor said
she hasasked him to stay through the end of the year."I think he feels
burnt out and unsupported," Adkins said.Council discussed placing a member
on the UPCO board as a committeeappointment. The group also voted to make
council member Todd Skidmorechairman of the infrastructure committee.
Councilman Wes Gibson had beenchair of the committee but has found his
obligations as chair of thefire committee, "have increased significantly,"
Walter said. Skidmoresaid the infrastructure is looking for several members
from the public.He said he would like to have residents from different areas
in the village."We have a diversity in the village and we want to take
advantage ofthat," Skidmore said.

Richwood Council hears of
potential plan for beachBy CHAD WILLIAMSONRichwood officials asked for
help designing a revamped beach area forthe village park.What they got
back was a unique structure plan, but no way to fund it.Joe Looby of the
R.D. Zande and Associates engineering firm presentedcouncil with a sketch of
the concept at Monday's village councilmeeting. While the officials may have
been looking for a simple beacharea, the concept was much more
unique.Looby showed a design that included a shelter house, concrete steps,
anhandicap accessible ramp and the most eye catching feature -
asemicircle of decking which extends out into the lake to mark off
theswimming area. The decking would be installed around the current
beacharea and swimming would be allowed inside the perimeter.Looby said
the decking would be five to six feet wide, enough for peopleto walk on or
fish from, but narrow enough to discourage bicycles orother vehicles. The
size of the arc would depend on the depth of thelake and how deep the
village wants the swimming area to be.Looby said some dredging would be
required to remove debris from theswimming area.Council members added a
few more ideas for the area including a kiddiepool area for children under a
year old and a drain to set a maximumwater level at the lake.Council
member Von Beal wanted to know the price for the work. Loobydidn't have an
answer, noting that his immediate goal was to see ifcouncil liked the ideas
behind the project.Village financial officer Don Jolliff noted that the
village hadbudgeted $20,000 for site improvements at the beach for 2008.
Jolliffnoted that the money was set aside for grading and sand purchase
butwouldn't make much headway in paying for a project the size of the
one presented.Looby noted that grant money should be available for the
project. Henoted that the project affords handicapped individuals access to
waterrecreation, a fact that scores well on many grant
applications.Union County Economic Development Director Eric Phillips also
noted thatthe project could qualify for money under an Ohio Natureworks or
EPAgrant. Mayor Bill Nibert said the Logan, Union, Champaign
CountyRegional Planning Commission is also working up a grant package
for shelter house.Looby said there is no reason the entire project needs
to be completedat once, suggesting the work could be divided into phases.
Beal askedthat the engineers present a funding package to council at a
later meeting.Council also heard from North Union schools superintendent
Rick Smithabout the future of the current middle school. In the coming
years, thedistrict will be building a new middle school in the area of the
currenthigh school and elementary school.Smith explained that the state
funding for the construction includesmoney for the demolition of the current
middle school school on NorrisStreet. This will leave a large empty space
where the school stood.Despite rumors to the contrary, the district also
owns a large footballfield behind the school site, leaving two large open
spaces in themiddle of the village once the school is demolished.Smith
asked if the district would be interested in assuming ownership ofthe land.
Council member Scott Jerew said the village would beinterested in
maintaining the green space in the village and would liketo see a proposal
for such a transition.In other business, council:.Voted 6-0 on the
recommendation of the Tax Incentive Review Council tocontinue the enterprise
agreement with MAI Manufacturing..Voted 6-0 to eliminate parking on the
North Side of East BomfordStreet. Council waived the three reading rule on
the issue..Learned from Jolliff that the village employee health
insurancepremiums will be increasing by 16 percent in the coming
year..Heard from councilman George Showalter that some resident continue
toburn trash in the village although the practice was banned several
years ago..Learned that the village will conclude its brush chipping for
the year on Oct. 29..Heard from village administrator Larry Baxa that the
park restroomswill be closed for the season on Oct. 29..Decided not to
hold its next scheduled meeting on Nov. 12 in observanceof Veteran's
Day.

Suicide attempt leads to gas leakBy RYAN HORNSCharges are pending
against a man who attempted suicide by turning onnatural gas Saturday
morning. The incident caused an entire apartmentbuilding to be evacuated at
The Arbors.At 11:34 a.m., Marysville police officers were called to the 600
blockof West Third Street to check on the welfare of a 48-year-old man at
682W. Third St.Authorities soon realized that the entire apartment
building at TheArbors needed to be evacuated because of dangerous gas
levels."When we approached the front door of the apartment, we could smell
astrong odor of natural gas," stated a report filed by the
MarysvilleFire Department.The man is expected to be charged with one
first-degree misdemeanor ofinducing panic charge.Marysville Assistant
Police Chief Glenn Nicol said this morning that atfirst, officers could not
locate the man inside the apartment.However, they soon detected a strong
odor of natural gas coming from thecracks around the front door. One officer
climbed a ladder to checkinside a second floor window and discovered the
window shades weredrawn. It appeared as if the man was lying on the bed
inside.Marysville Fire Department crews reportedly donned air tanks and
forcedentry into the apartment, where they found the man sitting on
the stairs."When we walked in," one police officer said, "(the suspect)
was walkinginto the kitchen."The man was taken from the apartment by
police officers and wasimmediately transported to Memorial Hospital of Union
County for care.Firefighters also aided in the evacuation of more than a
dozen residentswho lived inside the apartment building.Police officers
reported that the man may have turned on a gas leversometime around 9 a.m.
By 11 a.m. the build-up of gas inside had alsoseeped into many neighboring
apartments.According to fire reports, the gas was quickly shut off to all of
theappliances inside the apartment, the windows were opened and a fan
wasset up to ventilate the home.By 12:50 p.m., the apartment was cleared
of gas levels and residentswere permitted to return to their homes.Fire
crews were on the scene for just under an hour dealing with theleak.The
fire report also explained that the man's family indicated that hehas
attempted suicide in the past.

Interactive chalkboards?Smartboards
allow teachers and students to perform computer functions atthe head of the
classEditor's note: This is the second in a three-part series about
newtechnology being used in the county schools.---By CORINNE
BIXChris Terzis got booed by his students last week - not because
theydidn't like what he was teaching, but because his students wanted him
tocontinue teaching while using one of two SmartBoards that are shared
bythe teachers at Creekview Intermediate School.Interactive whiteboards
are the next generation of standard whiteboardsand chalkboards. The Smart
Board brand of interactive whiteboards isbeing used in the Marysville and
Fairbanks school districts, andteachers are eager to utilize the new
technology in their classrooms.In addition, North Union and Jonathan Alder
school districts are usinginteractive whiteboards in their
classes.Terzis is the technology teacher and technology facilitator
atCreekview. He said the demand for the building's two Smart Boards
isgrowing as they await the arrival of two more purchased by the
school's PTO."A Smart Board is a touch-sensitive display that connects to
yourcomputer and digital projector to show your computer image,"
Terzisexplained. "You can then control computer applications directly from
thedisplay, write notes in digital ink and save your work to share
later."Smart Technologies describes its product as combining the simplicity
ofa whiteboard with the power of a computer.Terzis said the result is a
more engaged classroom."It makes learning more fun for the students because
it hits on bothyour visual learners and your hands on learners," he said.
"Studentsthat never participate want to interact with the lesson."BJ
Thaman serves as the technology coordinator for Fairbanks."The Smart Board
adds a level of excitement to the class," Thaman said."It opens up learning
to the whole class."Fairbanks has about 20 total Smart Boards between the
district's threebuildings. Marysville has 11 boards among the district's
nine buildings.Thaman said the Smart Boards range in size from 44 to 77
inches inlength and allow for a more tactile learning
experience.Teachers can use movie clips during a lesson and then pause the
clip tofurther explain an idea.Thaman gave the example of a social
studies teacher doing a unit onWorld War II. The teacher could pause the
video and ask students toliterally draw on the board which way they would
charge the hill.Terzis said the board also allows social studies teachers to
use allkinds of mapping software in which students can identify features on
the map.In science, a teacher at Creekview recently had a picture of a
biome andhad students drag animals of that biome into the picture and then
drawlines to create the correct food chain for that ecosystem.Thaman
said the Smart Boards are being used in math classes becausestudents and
teachers can take advantage of the virtual compass andprotractor
features.Finally, in language arts teachers can use the board to
demonstrateediting techniques and teach punctuation. It has also been used
forinteractive story writing, collaborative writing and revising.Terzis
said he couldn't think of a subject area where the Smart Boardcouldn't be
utilized."I've been talking to the art teacher about how the board could be
usedin his classroom," Terzis said.He said the biggest challenge at
Creekview is that with more than 40teachers and about 800 students there are
not enough Smart Boards to go around.There appears to be a ripple down
effect among teachers in that oneteacher sees a colleague using the new
technology and then his or herinterest is sparked."Not one teacher that
has used the Smart Board has thought that itwasn't a valuable tool for their
classroom," Terzis said. "The majorbenefits that we have noted here are
increased motivation to participatein a lesson and how it captures the
attention of the students."

Uptown Fall Frolic planned for FridayFall
festivities for families are planned Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. on thesquare at
Fifth and Main streets.Activities include: music, strolling entertainment,
food, trick ortreating at businesses in Uptown Marysville, the Big Mac
Train, pumpkindecorating sponsored by the Marysville Public Library and
Union CountyHumane Society, costume contest for adults and youths and a
hauntedhouse sponsored by the Union County Family YMCA.Those who attend
th Fall Frolic will also have the opportunity to meetSpotlight Theatre cast
members who will present the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow."In addition to
downtown restaurants, concessions will be offered byMabry Jumbo Ice Tea, A
& S Concessions, Sweetooth Confections andGoodies Galore. Adult
beverages will be available.Fall Frolic is a part of the Uptown Renewal
Team, URT, revitalizationproject. Sponsors for Uptown Friday Night events
include HondaMarysville, Nelson Auto Group, Roby Chevrolet, Chapman Ford,
Union RuralElectric, Dayton Power & Light, Dave's Pharmacy and S & G
Rental.Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Union
CountyChamber of Commerce at 642-6279.

Local teen at forefront of fight against diabetesBy CORINNE BIXAustin
Ellington wants students at Marysville Middle School and NavinElementary to
say "hats on" when it comes to fighting diabetes.Ellington, 13, is one of
two youth ambassadors for the local AmericanDiabetes Association and he's
helping raise money and awareness for thegroup by allowing students to pay
$1 and wear a hat on specified "Hat Days."Navin held its Hat Day on
Thursday. The middle school will hold its HatDay on Oct. 24.The
fundraiser is part of the nationwide "Step Out To Fight" diabetesday to be
held Oct. 28. The local chapter will hold its walk at COSI.Ellington was
diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, formally known asjuvenile-onset diabetes,
when he was 9 years old."Type 1 is when your pancreas stops working
completely," Ellington explained.It was during a long car trip to Texas
that Ellington's mom, April,recognized some of the signs. Ellington was
extremely thirsty, lethargicand just didn't feel right. April had at one
time worked as an emergencyregistration clerk so she immediately took her
son to the doctor uponreturning to Marysville.Ellington said he was
diagnosed quickly and began meeting regularly withan endocrinologist."We
were lucky that we caught it early," he said.Ellington always wears a small
insulin pump and only removes it forbrief periods of time to bathe or
swim.He said living with diabetes is a lot easier than it used to
be."They are coming up with a lot of new things to make it
easier,"Ellington commented.Before he got the pump in late 2005, he had
to take seven to eight shotsof insulin daily which were very
painful.Ellington changes the pump every three days and is thankful for the
newspring-loaded inserters, which are a lot faster versus inserts that
haveto be pushed in by hand.As an ADA youth ambassador, Ellington has
had the opportunity to speakat several events including a recent "Step Out
on the State Lawn" eventin Columbus. While there, he had the opportunity to
meet Columbus MayorMike Coleman and several legislators.Devorah Kermisch
is the executive director for the American DiabetesAssociation that serves
Central Ohio and a small portion of West Virginia.Kermisch said the local
chapter of the ADA wanted to chooserepresentatives who, through further
efforts, could bring diabetesawareness to other kids in their
area."Austin is very active in the schools through his family,"
Kermisch said.Ellington has two younger brothers at Navin and an older
brother who isa senior at the high school.Kermisch said by becoming
engaged in the ADA, Ellington and his familyhave become more aware of its
services and have been able to put theword out to the
community.Ellington's mom just recently completed a Section 504 plan, or
studentaccommodation strategy, for her son. The plan allows children with
anillness to have more flexibility in terms of attending school
andcompleting assignments, which can sometimes be hindered by
their disease."It gives him an opportunity to not be penalized, for
example, if he hasto excuse himself from class," Kermisch explained.
"Marysville (schools)have been very accommodating to Austin's
disease."Ellington said he hasn't decided for sure what hat he will wear for
HatDay at the middle school."My Dad works at Honda R&D so I might
wear a Honda hat that he got me," he said.More than likely his younger
brother, Jordan, a second grader, will besporting a Mexican sombrero.
Ellington said he thought about wearing itbut unfortunately it was too
small.In addition to increasing diabetes awareness, Ellington is working
tobecome an Eagle Scout.

Burglar given 10 years in prisonBy MAC CORDELLA burglar's victim has
said she hopes he get help. If he does, it willbe from inside a prison
cell.Joseph Anthony Miller was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison.
InSeptember, Miller pleaded to one count each of aggravated
burglary,possession of drugs and escape and three counts of robbery.He
faced a maximum 34 years in prison. In exchange for the guilty
plea,prosecutors dropped an aggravated robbery charge and two theft of
drugscharges. The dismissed charges could have added another 13 years to
the man's sentence.During the sentencing hearing, the victim told Union
County JudgeRichard Parrott that she was a recovering alcoholic."I feel
for this man, because he is an addict," the victim said.She said Miller
broke into her home several times."The third time was scary," she
explained.She said the fear eventually turned to anger.Miller was
arrested about 2:55 a.m. Tuesday, July 17. He broke a windowin the rear of
the home in the 200 block of West Third Street. Thevictim heard the man and
went to the front of the house to call forhelp. While the victim was on the
phone with law enforcement officials,Miller came through the front
door."He almost knocked her (the occupant) over when he came in,"
MarysvillePolice Chief Floyd Golden said."He pushed a couple of people
who tried to subdue him," the chief added.The victim said Miller went to
the medicine cabinet and grabbedmedication, including at least two
prescription medicines, and ran from the home.Marysville Police Sgt.
Terry Basinger arrived at the scene first.Neighbors told the officer it was
Miller who broke into the home. Theypointed Miller out to the
officer."He was ordered to stop repeatedly," Golden said.Basinger
eventually caught the man after a short chase on foot. Theofficer held
Miller to the ground until back-up arrived to assist him.Medications taken
from the home were found in Miller's pocket.Miller was being held at the
jail during the pendency of his case. Courtrecords indicate he was granted a
medical release Aug. 21, with thestipulation that he return to the jail two
days later. The defendantfailed to show up at the jail.While Miller
pleaded guilty to the escape charge, he has said it was
amisunderstanding.

Charges, including kidnapping, get man four
yearsBy MAC CORDELLA Marysville man has been ordered to spend the next
four years in a state penitentiary.Robert Dell Lawhorn, 24, of 14228
Pleasant Ridge Drive, pleaded guiltyThursday to one count each of
kidnapping, a first-degree felony, andfelonious assault, a felony of the
second degree.The plea came moments after Union County Common Pleas Court
JudgeRichard Parrott announced that the results of a psychological
evaluation were available."The psychologist has filed a report ... which
says you knew thedifference between right and wrong at the time of the
offense and alsothat you are capable of helping in your defense with your
attorney,"Parrott told the defendant.Defense attorney Cliff Valentine
had filed a not guilty by reason ofinsanity plea, as well as a motion that
Lawhorn was incompetent to standtrial, based on a medical condition."Mr.
Lawhorn has had issues in the past, including this incident, wherehe
frequently blacks out and does not remember his actions,"
said Valentine.After the psychologist's report was made, Lawhorn withdrew
his plea ofnot guilty by reason of insanity in the case.In exchange for
the guilty pleas, prosecutors agreed to drop athird-degree felony charge of
abduction and recommend a four year prisonsentence. Lawhorn faced a
potential 18 year prison sentence on thekidnapping and assault. A conviction
for abduction could have addedanother five years in prison.With the
recommended sentence, Lawhorn agreed to forgo a presentenceinvestigation and
receive his punishment immediately."All right, lets go ahead and get it over
with," Lawhorn said.During the sentencing, Lawhorn asked the judge to be
lenient."Take it easy on me," Lawhorn told the judge. "I am a good guy. This
ismy first time getting in any trouble of this degree."The victim, in
the courtroom, said she did not want to make a statement.The judge
wished Lawhorn well"I guess I'll probably see you before too awfully long,"
Parrott said,referencing the man's ability to apply for judicial release in
180 days.The convictions stem from a July 21 incident. The victim was
trying toget Lawhorn, her boyfriend, into her vehicle so she could take him
home.Lawhorn was angry about being made to leave and he resisted getting
inthe car. When Lawhorn finally did get in the car, he began to
threatenthe victim. He told her he was going to punch her in the face. While
thewoman was driving, Lawhorn grabbed her in a headlock and began
punchingher. The defendant punched the woman about a dozen times, giving her
a concussion."When the victim was finally able to bring the vehicle to a
stop,Lawhorn got out from the passenger side, walked around to the
driverside, opened the door and pushed and continued to hit the victim
untilshe moved over into the passenger seat," according to court
documents.When Lawhorn was in the driver's seat he drove to a Columbus
gasstation. The woman told deputies she feared Lawhorn would
intentionallywreck the vehicle in an attempt to kill both of them. She said
he hasdone that in the past.She said that during the drive to Columbus,
she thought of jumping outof car, but was afraid because the car was going
too fast. When the pairreached the gas station, the woman tried to
escape."While he was pumping the gas, the victim was able to exit the car
andwent inside the station, asked to use the phone to call for help
anddialed 911," according to court documents. "Lawhorn left the station
inthe victim's car, but returned a short time later, came back inside
thestation, took the phone from the victim's hand and threw it at
thestation clerk. Lawhorn then pushed and dragged the victim by her
hairback into the car."Lawhorn drove back to the home in Union County
where he kept the womanfor several hours. Lawhorn would go outside smoke,
but would take thewoman's cell phone with him. According to the police
report, the victimfeared for her life.Eventually, he forgot to take the
phone and the victim was able to callher stepmother. The victim was
intentionally cryptic, but tried to getthe stepmother to come to the home.
Eventually the stepmother didarrive, just as Lawhorn was pushing the victim
into the car. Thestepmother told Lawhorn to get away from the victim and to
get off the property."He started to walk towards (the stepmother) and she
told him to getaway," according to the police report. "He then walked back
towards thehouse, but turned around back towards her and flicked a lit
cigarette ather face. (The victim) yelled at (the stepmother) to get away
from himbefore he hit her. Eventually (the stepmother) said she looked up
and hewas gone. He walked away and disappeared."Lawhorn was located some
time later walking along Route 31 and was arrested."He declined to speak
about the matter," according to the police report."In fact, he never asked
for any details or showed any interest in whatled me to arrest him. When we
arrived at the jail, he was asked what hewas there for. He stated 'Walking
down the road.'"Following the hearing Thursday, Parrott asked the victim if
she wantedany type of court order forbidding Lawhorn from contacting her.
Despitethe events of that July night, the woman said no and explained that
sheand Lawhorn were still together.

Triad schools eye Web site
upgradeBy CORINNE BIXTriad School Board members heard a presentation
from School Pointe, aWeb site management company for school districts, at
their Thursday night meeting.The company located in downtown Columbus has
clients in Ohio andIndiana. Nearby clients include Big Walnut Local Schools,
West JeffersonLocal Schools and Mechanicsburg Exempted Village
Schools.Cost for the standard package is $3,500 for the first year and
$2,900for each subsequent year, with a five-year contract. In addition
thereis a one time $500 start-up fee.Triad's current district Web site
is maintained internally by teachersand students at no significant
cost.The School Pointe representative showed the board many of the
company'sWeb site features, including news and events links as well as
security parameters.The company works to build functionality and ease of
navigation into itsWeb sites, the representative said. The representative
also assuredboard members that the company had never had any issues with
hacking orsecurity breaches on any of its Web sites.The board was
interested in getting additional pricing for modules thatwould allow the
district to conduct alumni management and directcommunication to parents in
the event of a school delay or in the rarecase the district had to close
early.The district will make a decision at an upcoming board meeting if
theychoose to sign a contract with the company.Craig Meredith,
treasurer, presented the recommended five-year forecastfor the board's
approval. The forecast included an allocation for anadditional science
teacher to meet state mandated core curriculumrequirements, along with
funding for a proposed maintenance building.The district has allocated
$70,000 for a maintenance building to bepossibly constructed within the next
year.Superintendent Dan Kaffenbarger said there is a need to create
amaintenance specific space to house the district's truck, tractor
andmowing deck, among other things.The proposed building would be a
minimum of 2,000 square feet. Initialquotes for materials alone are
estimated at $10,000.Current enrollment is 1,076 students, and the district
receives statefunding for 985 students. The reduced number takes into
account openenrollment students and that the state only funds 50 percent for
eachkindergarten student.Kaffenbarger reported that the reduction of bus
routes will save thedistrict an estimated $58,000. At the beginning of the
school year thedistrict reduced elementary bus routes from 12 to nine. The
district hasrecently added back one route; however, the two fewer routes
will saveabout 3,102 miles of driving each year which will garner
additionalsavings in regard to fuel and maintenance.The district has
received three bids for a new school bus. The threecompanies include Myers,
Cardinal and Miami Valley. The district aims toupdate one bus a year to
ensure the proper turnover of the fleet forsafety and efficiency.Board
members were invited to stop by the middle school's Night with theAncient
Stars science program after the meeting adjourned.Scott Blackburn, middle
school principal, said between 80-85 middleschool students were
participating in the event which allows students toobserve various
constellations and movement of the sun and moon, alongwith other aspects
associated with the universe unit.The next regular board meeting will be
Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. in the high school library.In other business, the
board:.Accepted the resignation of Harry Alltop as eighth grade
boysbasketball coach effective immediately..Approved certified
supplemental positions for Will Nichols, baseballhead coach; Faith Malone,
girls basketball volunteer; Shari Dixon,softball head coach; Patrick
Johnson, track/field head coach; DougMiller, middle school track/field
coach; and John Sharritts, track/field assistant..Approved Larry Searles,
baseball assistant; Harry Alltop, baseballvolunteer; Terry Donohoe, baseball
volunteer; Jason Gniewecki, eighthgrade boys basketball; Bob Johnston,
seventh grade girls basketball;Alissa Ohashi, middle school basketball
volunteer; Rick Wilkins,assistant softball; Bob Brooks, softball volunteer;
Bob Davidson,softball volunteer; Matt Alexander, track/field assistant; and
MikeZizzo, wrestling assistant as classified supplemental
personnel..Approved Haley Smith as a classified substitute, custodian, and
aidefor the 2007-2008 school year..Approved the 2007-2008 bus routes as
presented by the transportationsupervisor and superintendent..Approved
the superintendent and treasurer as Triad Board of Educationdesignees to
receive public record training as authorized by the OhioOffice of the
Attorney General..Approved the five year forecast (A) as presented by the
treasurer..Approved amended appropriations and amended certificate of
estimate resources..Accepted $92.50 to Triad Elementary from Target Inc.;
$5,852 to TriadElementary for Houghton Mifflin level readers from the Triad
PTO; and$150 for Red Ribbon Week materials from Conway Freight.

W. Mansfield mail carrier sentenced for theftBy MAC CORDELLA former West
Mansfield mail carrier is headed to prison, but for howlong is the
question.Jessi J. Holcomb, 42, of 154 Walnut St. in Rushsylvania, was
sentencedTuesday to 12 months in prison, stemming from her September guilty
pleato two counts of theft, both felonies of the fifth degree. The year
longprison sentence was part of an agreed sentence. A maximum sentence
wouldinclude a 24 month prison sentence."I am not convinced a full year
is appropriate in this case," UnionCounty Common Pleas Court Judge Richard
Parrott said.The judge said the woman could be free on judicial release in
as little as 30 days."The court would certainly take a strong look at
that, given you don'tgive us any trouble out there (Ohio Reformatory for
Women)," Parrott said.While the judge was not certain a year was
appropriate, he said he didknow the woman's crime overcame the fifth-degree
felony's presumptionfor probation. He said Holcomb was placed in a position
of trust withthe U.S. Postal Service and the public trusts the post
office."You violated the trust of the public in that," Parrott
explained.Holcomb was employed as a postal carrier for the West Mansfield
PostOffice. On Dec. 18, 2006, Holcomb was to deliver a Visa giftcard to
oneof the Union County residents on her route. Instead, she kept the
cardand used it at a Marysville retailer so she could buy her husband
awedding ring. When she used the gift card, she signed the receipt
withthe name on the envelope.Several weeks later, on Jan. 27, Holcomb
again opened a piece of mail,this one a birthday card for a different Union
County resident. Insidethe birthday card was a gift card to be used at a
local departmentstore. Holcomb took the card and used it a store in
Bellefontaine.Surveillance footage from the store shows Holcomb in the
store, usingthe card. Again, Holcomb signed the intended recipient's name to
thepurchase receipt.When law enforcement officials questioned the woman,
she admitted totaking the cards and using them.During her sentencing
hearing, Holcomb said the move was tremendouslyout of character for her. She
said she is "genuinely embarrassed andgenuinely remorseful.""I am just
sorry," Holcomb told the judge. "I will never do it again. Ihave learned my
lesson."Parrott said he could tell from the letters he received that the
theftwas out of character for the woman and that she had the support of
herfriends, family and neighbors."I understand fully...that you are
remorseful and if you could turn theclock back, you wouldn't do the things
you've already done."But Parrott said sentencing needs to have not only a
punitive effect onthe offender, but act as a warning for others."It has
to be a deterrent to others from doing the same thing," Parrottsaid. "We
can't have people turning around doing the same thing."Defense attorney
Michael Streng presented the court a $130 check for restitution.Postal
officials in West Mansfield would not comment on the matter.

Memorial
Hospital showcases sleep labBy CORINNE BIXMemorial Hospital of Union
County wants local residents to know that ifthey're not sleeping well,
Memorial's new and improved sleep lab mightbe just what they need to
diagnose and treat sleep disorders.The new four-bed sleep lab has found a
perfect home tucked away in thelower level of the hospital's Miracle Life
Center."The new location is optimum because it's secluded, quiet and a
lowtraffic area," said David Gleeson, director of cardiopulmonary
services at MHUC.The original two-bed sleep lab was established at the
hospital in 2001and located adjacent to the MHUC wellness center.MHUC
knew it was time to expand due to excessive wait times.The hospital
considered five other locations for the new lab, includingother areas within
the hospital, off campus, or a freestanding building."This is the
perfect area," Gleeson said. "Some of the added benefits ofthe new
underground location is that there is less noise and no externallight
because there are no windows."Each of the rooms features fluorescent
back-lit evening or nighttime scenes.One of the goals of the new lab was
to create an inviting space, Gleeson said.The hospital worked closely
with an architect from Columbus whenchoosing the colors and décor which
feature chocolate brown, terracotta, moss green and an antique yellow. A
cherry finish wood is carriedthroughout the unit."We didn't want it to
feel clinical," Gleeson said.More than six months of substantial planning
went into the projectbefore construction began in late spring.Each of
the four rooms boasts around 200 feet of space and features fullsize Select
Comfort or "sleep number" beds. In addition there is a flatscreen TV,
Internet access, an in-room refrigerator stocked with bottledwater and a
large closet.All of the rooms have a sleeper sofa to accommodate a patient's
guest orin the case of an adolescent, a place for a parent or guardian to
sleep."We do conduct studies on children as young as 7 years old,"
Gleeson said.Each room also has its own private bath and shower - in the
previoussleep lab patients shared bathroom facilities with the wellness
center.The flooring throughout the lab is a vinyl-sheeting product suitable
forheath care institutions; however, it has twice the padding to
compensatefor the concrete slab underneath. Gleeson said the result is a
spongyfeel that gives when walked upon.In the central lab area,
registered sleep technicians monitor patients.Gleeson said most patients
arrive at the lab between 7 and 8 p.m. andusually go to sleep between 9 and
10 p.m. Overnight patients aremonitored audibly and visually. The
technicians record everything from apatient's heart rhythms, brain waves and
blood oxygen levels to limbmovements, body position and snoring.In
addition to the three registered sleep technicians, the lab relies onthe
input of several physicians when diagnosing and treating patientswith any
variety of sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, cessation ofbreathing as
a result of apnea, insomnia or narcolepsy."Our unit is unique in that we
have three physicians who work in theinterpretive capacity which include a
pulmonologist, a neurologist, anda pulmonary and sleep medicine specialist,"
he said.Gleeson said between the new facility and the array of medical
doctorsand staff the hospital has many different avenue in which the needs
ofpatients can be met.For more information, individuals may contact the
sleep lab directly at578-4001 or contact their family
physician.

Presentence investigation ordered for alleged voyeurBy MAC
CORDELLA Union County judge has ordered a presentence investigation in
aneffort to get a handle on the criminal history of a defendant.Moments
after pleading guilty to burglary, Aaron M. Kastein, 27, of 561Dove St.,
waived his right to have a presentence investigation look intohis past and
the circumstances of the incident.Defense attorney David Burton said a joint
sentencing recommendationbetween the state and the defense, suggested a four
year prison term.The charge carries a maximum eight-year prison
term.When asked if he was certain he wanted to waive the
investigation,Kastein said, "yes, your honor, that would be fine."Union
County Court of Common Pleas Judge Richard Parrott then asked thequestion
Kastein was likely trying to avoid."What kind of record do you have?" the
judge queried."I have been in trouble in the state of Pennsylvania, your
honor,"Kastein responded. "It was a similar offense, criminal
trespass."The judge questioned further, "so you have had one prior?"A
quick laugh later, Kastein confirmed, "no, your honor, it's been more than
one."Parrott said despite Kastein's waiver of rights, he wanted to see
thedefendant's history, "based on what I am hearing."Kastein remains in
the Tri-County Regional Jail in Mechanicsburg in lieuof $50,000 bond. He is
set to be sentenced Tuesday, Nov. 27.The judge said since Kastein was
already in jail, those days countedtoward his prison sentence."You are
not going to be out anything going through the presentenceinvestigation,
because you will get credit for the time you are serving here."Kastein
was arrested in Marysville on Aug. 14, after Marysville Policewere called to
a home on Rainbow Drive. A neighbor called 911 afterhearing a female victim
call for help. The woman yelled because shefound Kastein hiding behind a
homemade blind in her garage. When shecaught him, Kastein said he was
playing hide and seek.Kastein fled the home, but was caught by police after
a foot pursuit.He admitted to breaking into the garage, but said he was only
there fora few minutes, before being caught."Kastein said he had been
doing well for the last six months sincemoving to Marysville," according to
the report from the MarysvillePolice Department. "He reported that he had
been in prison for fiveyears in Pennsylvania for similar acts and was
released in February of 2007."Kastein said he did not want to steal
anything."Kastein denied that he was there at the house to commit a sex act
orcause harm to anyone; and that he had never harmed anyone
before,"according to the police report. "He stated that he has a problem
withvoyeuristic behavior." He said he just likes to look.Kastein said he
has a habit of watching women when they don't know he'sthere. Sometimes he
fantasizes later, but not always.During the interview, Kastein said he chose
the house because he saw anattractive woman there within the past few weeks.
He said he did notintend to enter the home.Kastein told Marysville
police that his problems started in college,however, court records indicate
he has been sneaking into homes for manyyears. Kastein has multiple prior
convictions in Pennsylvania forburglary, criminal trespassing, harassment
and disorderly conduct, allstemming from similar incidents.Kastein
pleaded guilty to hiding under a girl's bed in a Pittsburgh, Pa.house June
16, 1999. He said at that time it was not the first time hehad done
so.On July 5, 1999, he was arrested for breaking into a home in the
samearea. He said he noticed the girl and another woman at the library
andthought they were pretty. He followed the girls on several
occasionsbefore breaking into the home. At that time he admitted into doing
thesame thing at another woman's home in the area. He was also connected
toa similar incident a week earlier, but never charged.He pleaded guilty
to both incidents and on in May of 2000 and beganserving two years
probation.A month later, Kastein was found hiding on the basement stairs
watchingthe living room of suburban Pittsburgh area woman's house. The
victimhad caught Kastein watching her sleep from the same steps several
weeksearlier, but did not report the incident to police.In August of
2000 he was found hiding in the back seat of a woman'svehicle and was later
sentenced to jail and probation for chargesincluding criminal trespass and
stalking.He was released on parole after serving 11 and a half months of
a23-month sentence.In January 2002, Kastein was caught hiding under the
bed of woman inPittsburgh. Kastein fled and the three women who lived in the
home didnot call police. The next day, Kastein and his father went to the
homeand apologized. Kastein told the women at that time that he had
issueswith rejection and was only there to look at them because they
were pretty.According to police reports, there was a series of other
similar eventsin that neighborhood.Later that month, Kastein was
arrested in New Lebanon home after he wasfound hiding under the bed of a
13-year-old girl.

Couple re-indicted in Clark CountyAre accused of 'torturing' foster
childrenBy RYAN HORNSA couple accused of repeatedly "torturing" their
five children withbelts, hammers and burning them with irons and a stove
have beenre-indicted in Clark County, facing the exact charges they
previouslyfaced in Union County.Union County Prosecutor Dave Phillips
and his assistant prosecutor RickRodger have been assigned as special
presocutors to work on the trialwith Clark County Prosecutor Andy Wilson, in
conjunction with the OhioState Attorney General's Office. The group met
Monday before a grandjury in Clark County for the re-indictment.James
Ferguson, 46, and his wife, Vonda Ferguson, 43, of Springfield,had
previously pleaded not guilty to 20 counts of child endangerment,five counts
of permitting child abuse and five counts of feloniousassault. Vonda
Ferguson also had pleaded not guilty to an additionalcount of felonious
assault and two counts of rape.The two were originally indicted locally in
August 2006.By March of this year the charges were dismissed by Judge
RichardParrott of Union County Common Pleas Court at the request of
Phillips,who said the case was filed in Union County under the theory that
allthe couple's alleged conduct could be prosecuted there.When the judge
disagreed, Phillips said he chose to seek dismissal toavoid having the
charges that stemmed from the couple's allegedactivities in Clark County
from being thrown out."This would place the case in peril," Phillips said at
the time abouttrying the Fergusons in Union County. "We want the jury to
decide if thedefendants are guilty of abuse, without having the venue at
issue."The Fergusons are expected to be arraigned in Clark County Friday
at 8:30 a.m.Residents who have previously expressed outrage over the
alleged crimeshave been vocal about seeing the charges filed again in Clark
County.The Union County Prosecutors Office reported that the process took
timebecause the files had to be copied and Clark County attorneys
neededtime to gain knowledge of the case against the Fergusons.In the
Bill of Particulars of the original Union County case against thecouple, the
files include a list of beatings and acts the two allegedlycommitted toward
their five adopted children, three males and twofemales. Reports allege the
juveniles were starved, struck with hammers,shoved inside clothing dryers
which were then turned on, were burned onhot stoves and suffered broken
limbs from violent beatings with sticks.The abuse included in the files goes
on for 16 pages, listing crimesthat allegedly spanned a four-year period
between July 24, 2000 throughNov. 19, 2004.The crimes allegedly occurred
between any of three homes in Union andClark counties, namely 1126 N.
Fountain Blvd. in Clark County, 23237Holycross-Epps Road in Union County and
1505 Patricia Drive in Marysville.Attorneys representing the Fergusons
have requested the charges bedropped for lack of evidence.The Fergusons
are accused of allegedly striking one juvenile daughter'sfingers with a
hammer "which caused her fingernails to bleed and falloff; she was beaten
with sticks and belts, the handle of a toiletplunger was stuck down her
throat; she was beaten with a white belt onher back, legs and (bottom) until
her leg was bleeding; she was slammedonto the floor resulting in a chipped
tooth; she had a drawer shut onher finger which resulted in a broken finger,
she was intentionallyburned with a curling iron; she was stripped naked,
duct taped to atable and beaten with a paddle and belt until her (bottom)
was bleeding. she was put into a clothes dryer and the dryer was turned on
aspunishment; (all of the victims were told that if they told anyone
theywould be killed)."Court reports go on to alledge that all of the
children were made toline up and be whipped at the same time, making each
child rotate fromthe front of the line to the back, receiving 6-7 hits with
the beltbefore moving, duration was approximately 15 minutes); food was
withheldfrom all victims for sometimes two days at which time the victims
wouldeat cat food."Numerous other charges concerning the additional
children listed additional allegations.

'Daddy hid really good
upstairs'Toddler's confession leads to prison time for fatherBy MAC
CORDELLThe braggings of a toddler has led to prison time for her father
andcould lead to prison for her mother as well.James A. Beswick, 25, of
741 Kenny Lane in Marysville, pleaded guiltyMonday to one count of
aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree.Defense
attorney Cliff Valentine said his client had agreed to asentencing
recommendation and would waive a presentence investigation toget the matter
settled quickly."I would prefer that," Beswick told the judge.The drug
charge was filed after Beswick was arrested in September oflast year on a
driving under suspension charge. When Beswick was placedunder arrest, police
searched him. They found four white pills in aclear cigarette wrapper,
stuffed inside the cuff of Beswick's sock.Beswick told the judge he was
ready to turn his life around."I just want to apologize to the court and let
you know I am ready totake responsibility and when I am through with this, I
am ready to livemy life for my wife and child," Beswick said.He said he
felt a community based corrections facility would probably bea better fit
for him than prison.Union County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Parrott
apparently feltprison was still the best option, sentencing him to 10
months.As Beswick was sentenced, his wife, Aldenia Sue Beswick, looked on
fromthe front row. She could be joining him in the penitentiary.Aldenia
Beswick, 20, of 741 Kenny Lane in Marysville, has been indictedon two counts
of obstructing justice, both felonies of the fifth degree.If convicted, she
faces a two-year prison term. The charges grew out ofa June 30, incident
involving James Beswick's arrest on the drug anddriving under suspension
charges.According to court documents, Marysville Police went to Beswick's
homeabout 7:45 p.m. that evening, looking for James Beswick. The man's
wifesaid James Beswick was not home, but that he had gone shopping with
hismother. She told officers she would let James Beswick know they
werelooking for him.About two hours later, officers returned to the
home. Again, Aldeniasaid her husband was not home. She said she did not know
where he was orwhen he would return.At that point, officers informed the
wife they had arrest warrants forher husband and asked if they could look
around. Aldenia Beswick agreed."After the officers entered the
apartment, Mr. Beswick's three year olddaughter...stated, 'Daddy hid really
good upstairs,'" according to courtdocuments. "Officer Findley asked Mrs.
Beswick at least seven times ifMr. Beswick was hiding upstairs and she never
replied. Officer Findleythen advised Mrs. Beswick that if she didn't tell
them where he was, shewould be charged with obstructing justice and asked if
he was worth it.Mrs. Beswick replied that 'he is my husband.'"Findley
requested additional assistance and a canine unit to search theapartment.
The officers gave James Beswick several opportunities to givehimself up.
When they got no response, officers released the dog tosearch the
apartment."The canine found Mr. Beswick hiding in a box, with a few items on
topof the box in a storage area," according to court documents.James A.
Beswick was arrested on the warrant and additionally chargedwith obstruction
of justice at that time.

Ash borer found hereBy KARLYN BYERSUnion
County has been added to the list of counties quarantined by theEmerald Ash
Borer.It joins 26 other counties in which the exotic wood-boring insect
hasbeen identified, including neighboring Delaware, Franklin, Hardin,
Loganand Marion counties.The emerald ash borer (EAB) infests and kills
native North American ashtrees, including green, white, black and blue
ash."Department officials have quarantined Union County to help stop
thespread of the devastating insect via ash trees and firewood," states
apress release from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. "It is illegal
totake ash trees, parts of ash trees, and all hardwood firewood out of
aquarantined county into a non-quarantined county. Violators face
finesup to $4,000. It is also illegal to take these items out of the state
ofOhio, per federal quarantine."The insect infestation was confirmed
Tuesday, according to John H.Hixson, Ohio State University Agriculture,
Natural Resources andCommunity Development Extension Educator.The
infested ash tree was discovered in a fencerow near the intersectionof
Collins Avenue and Linden Street. Hixson said he and George McVey,Master
Gardener coordinator and Union County Extension assistant,inspected the tree
Friday and contacted the ODA.The tree exhibits the distinctive "S-shaped,"
serpentine pathways justunder the bark that EAB larvae leave as they tunnel
into the wood pulp,damaging a tree's water and nutrient transporting system.
When theborers emerge as adults, they leave behind characteristic
"D-shaped"holes one-eighth inch in siBy Kze in the trunk and ma
in
branches.Trees infested with EAB typically die within three to five years.
Adultfemale ash borers will produce about 50 to 100 eggs, depositing
themindividually on the bark surface or within cracks and crevices of an
ashtree. Higher branches and upper portions of the trunk are
colonizedfirst, making it difficult to detect early infestations, according
theOSU Extension.Only living trees are colonized. Residents should be on
the lookout forEAB larva and the D-shaped exit holes year round. Adult EAB
aregenerally visible from June to August.They also should be on the
lookout for unusually heavy woodpeckeractivity on living ash trees,
especially in the winter; unnatural shootssprouting from the main trunk
and/or from the base of a tree; a thinningcanopy and top dieback; or thin,
relatively short (2-5 inches long)vertical splits through the bark of living
trees.Additional information on the Emerald Ash Borer or the Union
Countyquarantine, call Hixson or McVey at 644-8117 or (800) 589-8584 or
e-mailHixson at hixson.2@osu.edu.

Slump at the pumpLocal Shell stations are out of gasolineBy RYAN
HORNSPlastic bags cover the pump handles and handmade signs read "Out
ofFuel" at Marysville Shell gasoline stations.Local store managers said
they have just as many questions as theircustomers lately. Talk of the
company changing ownership and rumors ofbankruptcy have been tossed
around."We heard that too," said Nicol Lee, manager of the Shell/Burger
Kingstation on West Fifth Street.She said the gasoline holding tanks are
indeed empty, but that is allshe knows right now."We started running out
of regular on Friday night," Lee said. "Then weran out of premium over the
weekend."She did not know if the stores have been sold."We just do what
we're told," Lee said.On South Jefferson Avenue in Plain City, Shell store
manager NancyNienhaus said she heard the reason was bankruptcy."It has
something to do with receivership," she said.Nienhaus said the Plain City
location is independently owned and is notheld under as strict of a contract
as the Marysville branches. She heardthat there is no set date for when
Marysville stations will have theirgasoline tanks refilled, and store
merchandise may not be any better off."I heard once the cigarettes run
out," she said. "They are not going tohave a whole lot left to sell."Gas
prices at Marysville Shell stations have also been a point ofdiscussion
among residents, because prices are much higher than otherstations in town.
Stores signs show an average 20 cents more per gallonof gasoline than their
competitors.Telephone calls placed to Shell District Manager Laura Davis
were not returned.Further inquiries at the two other Marysville Shell
stations did notprovide any answers either.Store managers at the East
Fifth Street station and the location onAllenby Drive both hinted that the
district office had warned themagainst speaking about the situation with
media."We're not supposed to make any comments," one female employee on
EastFifth Street said.On Allenby Drive, the question was met with "No
comment" by the female employee.Nienhaus said she hopes the bankruptcy
situation can get ironed out."My credit card machine just stopped working,"
she said. "Hopefully thatwill get fixed soon."

Plea entered in drug
related deathBy MAC CORDELLA woman accused of supplying the drugs that
killed a man has pleaded guilty.Aerial Nicole May, 20, of 267 B North
Ave., in Plain City, pleadedguilty Monday to one count of involuntary
manslaughter, a felony of thefirst degree, aggravated trafficking in drugs,
a felony of the fourthdegree, and deception to obtain a dangerous drug, a
felony of the fourth degree.In August, May entered a plea of not guilty
and not guilty by reason ofinsanity to the three charges as well as two
additional counts ofaggravated trafficking in drugs and one count of
permitting drug abuse.She was evaluated by mental health professionals both
for her sanity atthe time of the offense and her competency to stand
trial.Monday, Union County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard E. Parrott
saidthe results of the evaluations were complete."(The doctor) has
basically said she did know right from wrong at thetime the alleged act was
committed and that she is capable of assistingher counsel in her defense,"
Parrott said.Defense attorney Cliff Valentine said he had reviewed the
evaluation anddiscussed it with his client. Valentine said May wanted to
accept a pleaagreement that would drop three of the charges. As part of the
deal,prosecutors and the defense recommended an eight year prison term
forMay. She faces as many as 13 years in prison.Rather than issue the
sentence Monday, Parrott ordered a presentenceinvestigation and set a
sentencing hearing for Tuesday, Nov. 27."I'd rather just do the sentencing
today, right now if that's O.K.," Maytold the judge."Ma'am, I really
don't want to do that and I'll tell you why," Parrottresponded. "These are
some pretty serious charges. I want to be sure Ihave a good presentence
investigation because I don't know anythingabout you and feel like I should
know you."The judge explained that a member of his staff would sit down and
talkto the woman about the incident, her background, her family,
hercriminal record and her state of mind."It all bears on what I need to
do in this case," Parrott said.May was indicted in June for the April 25
death of Eric D. Amend.According to court documents, May and the 24-year-old
victim met on aphone chat line and knew each other for several months. The
two gottogether at May's Plain City residence. May had prescriptions
formorphine, Oxycodone and Fentanyl, which she gave to the victim, who
alsodrank alcohol."The combination was enough to cause his death,"
according to the autopsy report.The pair fell asleep during the evening.
According to court documents,May woke sometime before 6 a.m. and made
several calls in an attempt toget someone to take her to the hospital.
Ultimately she dialed 911 for an ambulance."At that time, Mr. Amend was
either in distress or already expired andshe didn't say anything about him
having been there," Union CountyProsecutor Dave Phillips said.About
eight hours after the woman was rushed to the hospital, a memberof May's
family found Amend dead in the woman's bed and called police.Initially, May
told police Amend was taking mushrooms, but a toxicologyreport revealed he
was not. The woman eventually admitted the drugs were hers.May was
released on her own recognizance following her indictment;however, her bond
was revoked in September after she failed to appearfor court dates in both
Madison County and Marysville Municipal Courts.

NU may hold mock critical
incidentsBy CHAD WILLIAMSONNorth Union schools could be the location of
not one but two emergencysituations in the coming year - if the school board
approves them.Paul Slaughter of the Union County Local Emergency Planning
Committee(LEPC) discussed two mock critical incidents that could be carried
outwithin the school in the spring.NU superintendent Rick Smith said the
board would still have to vote toallow the training, and parental permission
would be required forstudents to participate.Slaughter explained that
each year the LEPC carries out a hazardousmaterial spill simulation. This
year the agency would like to use a school as a setting.He said the
situation would be that a pickup truck driver hauling a tankof anhydrous
ammonia crashes into one of the school buildings and thenruns inside making
threats.The second phase of the incident would focus more on law
enforcementofficer training and would involve an "active
shooter."Slaughter said that prior to the Columbine school shootings,
theprevailing theory was to attempt to get students out of the
buildingbefore going after the shooter. Since that incident, lawmen have
beentrained to enter the building and move toward the gunshots.Slaughter
said the Pickerington School District recently went through atraining
incident involving a shooter in the building. Local officialsare trying to
work with representatives of Pickerington to help plan
the event.Slaughter said local officials had originally hoped to carry
out thetraining this fall, but additional planning is needed, and the
eventprobably will not take place, if approved, until May.Smith also
told the board that he believes he has a teacher and aide inplace to begin
offering the Early Start Program in January.The program would allow
elementary school students to be brought toschool as early as 6 a.m. and
would run through 9 a.m. each day.Students would receive breakfast and would
take part in lessons.Up to 32 students can be accepted at a cost of $25 per
week. Smith saidsome Title I grant money is being used to offset the cost of
the program.Smith said the district would begin accepting applicants in
December. Headded that if either employee decides not to take the position
theprogram will not move forward.In other business, the
board:.Handed out the district's academic awards for high school
students..Set a policy committee meeting for today at 8 p.m..Set town
hall meetings on construction projects for Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m.at the high
school library and Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. at the boardadministrative
offices..Voted 5-0 to accept the amounts and rates as determined by the
budgetcommission and authoring the necessary tax levies and certifying them
tothe county auditor for the coming tax year..Voted to approve a high
school diploma to Ayla Lowery who met therequirements to qualify as a
graduate with the class of 2007..Accepted the resignation of Sherry Rhea as
elementary cafeteriaworker/cashier effective Oct. 19..Approved a list of
certified and non-certified substitute personnel tobe called on an as-needed
basis..Voted 4-1 to approve an eighth grade overnight trip to Chicago.
Boardmember Don Tumeo cast the dissenting vote.

Jerome Township
Trustees discuss record complianceBy MAC CORDELLJerome Township
officials have taken steps to make certain they are incompliance with state
and federal public records requirements.Township Clerk/Fiscal Officer Robert
Caldwell informed the trusteesMonday at their meeting that they or their
designee was required to taketraining in the public records requirements. He
said spots in thetraining, offered by the Ohio Townships Association, are
filling upquickly. Caldwell said trustees who want to be compliant, even if
theyare up for election in November, need to schedule to take the
course.He added that many townships are designating their clerks to take
thetraining for the township trustees. Caldwell said he was
alreadyscheduled to take the training in December. Township Trustee Andy
Thomasasked whose job it was to fill public records requests.Caldwell
said the township has a written public records policy and it is"the
responsibility of every employee of the township," to fulfillpublic records.
He added that the policy does recommend bringing therequests to the
clerk.Thomas then suggested the trustees designate Caldwell as
theirrepresentative to go to the training. He asked if that would cover
thetrustees responsibility."Does it alleviate your responsibility to be
compliant?" asked Caldwell."No. Does it alleviate your responsibility to go
to the training? Yes."The trustees also wanted to inform the public that
U.S. 42 will beclosing soon. CSX will be closing the road in the village of
Arnold towork on the railroad tracks. The road will be closed beginning
Monday.It is scheduled to reopen Tuesday, Nov. 16.Township officials are
working to have the children of Jerome Townshipname one of the newly
purchased dogs for the sheriff's office's new canine division."When we
purchased the dog, it was suggested by Mr. (Freeman) May thatwe let the
children of the township name the dog," said Township Trustee Bob
Merkle.He suggested the sheriff pick the winning name rather than any of
the trustees.Trustee Ron Rhodes suggested the trustees purchase a savings
bond andpossibly a plaque for the winner."I think the winner should have
something," Rhodes said.Merkle suggested a picture with the dog and the
sheriff would also be nice.During the public participation portion of the
meeting, townshipresident Mike Bing thanked trustee Ron Rhodes for removing
his campaignsign from the township park. Rhode's sign was a point of
contention atthe last meeting when Bing said the sign violated the
townshipsordinances. Bing was informed that many of the rules governing
campaignsigns were no longer valid since court rulings said they were
anextension of free speech. Monday, Bing said he understood the signs
wereprotected as free speech, but appreciated Rhodes removing them
anyway.Bing added that he would like to see the code, which is included on
thetownship's Web site updated to reflect the new less
restrictiveregulations. The trustees said that would take a considerable
amount of time."I just think it is a disservice to the public to have it
on the site,but not have it up to date," Bing said.

Reinventing the overhead projectorNew technology allows teachers to
visualize lessonsEditor's note: This is the first of a three-part series on
new uses oftechnology in the classrooms of Union County. Additional stories
willrun each Monday.By CORINNE BIXWhen most people think of an
overhead projector, transparencies come tomind, however in today's classroom
transparencies are quickly becoming atool of the past as technology has
brought new life to a standard resource.Visual projecting equipment is
the next generation of the formeroverhead projector. The new equipment is
about 1/3 the size of thetraditional projector and, depending on the model,
are capable ofprojecting almost anything including three-dimensional
objects.For example, teachers can enhance their lessons by connecting to
theInternet via a computer and projecting real-time web pages using an
LCDprojector. In the case of a document camera, an instructor can
connectto a microscope and project images of live specimens.Many local
districts including Marysville, Fairbanks, Jonathan Alder andTriad are using
the new technology in their classrooms.Pam Wenning-Earp, North Union
technology coordinator, said textbooks arenow coming with software that
works with the new equipment and allowsthe teacher to pull in various
content standards."The equipment provides a tremendous opportunity for
teachers to sharevisual experiences classroom wide in that every child is
able to fullysee what is being projected," Wenning-Earp said.Kacy Moore,
social studies teacher at Triad Middle School, said sheutilizes her LCD
projector about once a week."If we can attract students by using technology
in the classroom, we aregoing to do it," she said.Moore explained that
the images are very colorful and eye-catching whichare aspects that the kids
respond well to given their exposure to TV and video games.Moore said she
likes to use the guided notes portion of the software toenhance her
lectures."The software is phenomenal because it's in line with Ohio
curriculumstandards," she said, "I can print off the PowerPoint notes,
makechanges if I want and then the kids can fill out the notes during
the lecture."Shawna Cardoza, Triad seventh grade math teacher, wrote the
grant thatawarded the middle school four LCD projectors this year.She
said she uses a LCD projector at least two or three times a week andwould
use it everyday if she had full-time access to one."It's very easy to
manipulate and comes with a remote which frees me upto be anywhere I need to
be within the classroom," Cardoza said.Some of the visual projection
equipment or more specifically documentcameras can project 3-D images hence
a teacher doesn't have to worrythat an item might not be flat enough to
display.In addition to LCD projectors, North Union has purchased seven
ELMObrand document cameras, which prove very useful in various
subjects.Wenning-Earp gives the example of projecting an actual animal
heartusing the document camera during a biology lesson. In the case of
math,a teacher can project math manipulatives like blocks when teaching
a counting lesson.She said it eliminates everyone trying to clamor around
the teacher'sdesk so they can see what the teacher is trying to demonstrate
or sharewith his/her students."Today's students are growing up in such
an interactive and visuallystimulating environment," Wenning-Earp said,"
therefore you have to findnew and different ways to engage them in the
classroom."

Mystery of missing M.C. pastor solvedFrom staff and wire
reportsSkeletal remains have been found, ending the mystery of
thedisappearance of a former Milford Center pastor and her friend.Major
John Newsom of the Warren County Ohio Sheriff's Departmentreported late
Sunday that the remains of two women found in a Kentuckyfield were
identified as those of former area pastor Mary Ellen Walters,68, and her
friend Ada Wasson, 80. The two have been missing from theOtterbein
Retirement Living Community near Lebanon since April 19. Sincethen a search
over two states has been underway.A hunter reportedly discovered Wasson's
car and the remains Sundaymorning, Newsom has said. The car was found in
Henry County, Ky. nearthe Campbellsburg community, about 38 miles northeast
of Louisville.The two were reported missing after telling friends they were
going to aJ.C. Penney outlet store in either Carrollton, Ky., or Columbus,
Ohio,authorities have said. Kentucky Forensic Anthropologist, Dr.
EmilyCraig, said autopsies will be performed on the women today.Wasson
and Walters were likely traveling to an outlet mall in theCarrollton area
when they were last seen, authorities said. Carrolltonis exit 44 on
Interstate 71. Campbellsburg is exit 34.Kentucky State Police report there
are no signs of foul play.Shopping was a favorite activity of the two, and
they preferred drivingscenic highways rather than Interstate 71, according
to their friends.Authorities and volunteers had searched thousands of square
miles inOhio, Kentucky and Indiana by land and air for the missing
women.Investigators studied store videotapes, checked under bridges and
passedout thousands of fliers.Wasson at times became confused, while
Walters, a retired UnitedMethodist minister, was limited physically by knee
problems, neighbors said.Authorities know Wasson filled her car with gas
the night of April 18,and they left some time the next day. But in the weeks
after thedisappearance, there was no activity on the women's credit or
bank cards, police said.The women also didn't bring luggage and Walters,
who normally askedneighbors to watch the Schnauzer mix if she was to be away
long, left the dog alone.Back in May, Ron Payne, current part-time pastor
at the Milford CenterUnited Methodist Church, said he knew Walters well
before her retirementfrom pastoring five years ago."I always knew her as
a bright, cheerful person, she had been anelementary school teacher," he
said. "She just had a bright and chipper disposition."

Defendant takes deal in middle of trialBy MAC CORDELLThe jury was seated
and the trial was underway, when the state and aMarysville criminal reached
a compromise.James R. Brown, 20, of 1024 Coventry Place, Apt. C, in
Marysville,pleaded guilty, shortly after lunch Friday, to one count of
assault, amisdemeanor of the first degree. Acting Marysville Municipal Court
JudgeRobert Parrott wanted to make certain the whole matter had not
happenedto quickly for Brown."It's been filed quick," Parrott told the
defendant. "You are sure youdon't want time to reflect on this and you want
to move on?"Brown confirmed he was ready to proceed and Parrott sentenced
the man to180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The judge suspended the entire
fineand 40 of the days in jail. Since Brown has been in jail since his
May26-arrest, 140 days, he was a free man.Parrott did warn the defendant
that if he did not pay his court costs orrestitution within the court's
schedule or if he failed to abide by theterms of his probation, Brown would
serve the other 40 days and pay"every dollar," of the fine."It is a good
result," said defense attorney Cliff Valentine.Valentine told the judge his
client took the deal because, "he knows hewas still facing penitentiary time
if he went forward. (with the trialin Common Pleas Court)"It was a good
result, for the defense, because earlier in the day Brownwas midway through
a criminal trail, that if convicted, could have ledto as many as 16 years in
prison.Brown and another man, Jason Allerton, were each initially indicted
by agrand jury on one count of felonious assault and one count of
complicityto felonious assault, felonies of the second degree.According
to court documents, Brown and Allerton were in a car onCharles Lane, yelling
at the girl and another woman in a different car.The victim, a 15-year-old,
pulled up on his bicycle and told the men tostop yelling at the females.
Brown and Allerton got out of the car andassaulted the boy. The boy fell
unconscious, hitting the back of hishead on the pavement.As a result of
the assault, the victim suffered a fractured jaw, whichrequired wiring his
jaw shut, and a cut on the back of his head whichrequired five staples to
close.During testimony of the trial's first and only witness, one of
thefemales, Assistant Union County Prosecutor sensed the jury
wouldstruggle to convict Brown and offered the defense the
misdemeanor charge."After a witness' testimony was inconsistent with a
statement she hadpreviously given to police and prosecutors, based on the
testimony wehad and the evidence at that point in the trial, to be certain
we got aconviction, we felt this was the best resolution," said Hord.The
witness, which took the stand for the prosecution, testified thatshe
struggled to see the fight and credited Allerton with the blows to the
victim.Following the girl's testimony, the judge dismissed the jury. During
thebreak, Hord and Valentine decided to settle the matter in
municipalcourt with the misdemeanor charge. As part of the agreement,
Brownagreed to pay court and jury costs in the felony cases now
droppedagainst him. Hord recommended a suspended fine, informing Parrott
thatsince the jury was already impaneled, jury fees would likely reach,
"acouple of hundred dollars."The judge agreed to suspend the fine, an
exception to his normal practice."Usually we don't suspend the fines, but
you have these other costs youhave agreed to pay in the other (felony)
case," Parrott said.

Flu clinics scheduledFrom J-T staff
reportsThe Union County Health Department in partnership with Memorial
Hospitalof Union County announced its adult flu clinic schedule.This
year's adult clinics offer two options for flu immunization, flushots and
FluMist nasal spray. To date, the Centers for Disease Control(CDC) has not
set any restrictions on who is eligible for flu shots.However, restrictions
may be established by the CDC at any time duringthe flu season.To be
eligible for FluMist nasal spray, individuals must be age 9 to 49years,
healthy and non-pregnantThe following clinics have been scheduled at this
time. All clinics arebased on availability of vaccine and may be canceled
with little noticeif vaccine is not available. Adult clinics are only open
to people 9years of age and older. Registration for clinics will not begin
untilthe specified time.Clinic dates, times, locations follow: Friday,
Oct. 19, 9-11 a.m.,Richwood Fire House, 602 N. Franklin St., Richwood;
Wednesday, Oct. 24,1-3 p.m., Jerome Township Building, 9777 Industrial
Parkway; Friday,Oct. 26, 10 a.m. to noon, First English Lutheran Church, 687
LondonAve., Wednesday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Union County
Fairgrounds;Tuesday, Nov. 6, 4-6 p.m., First English Lutheran Church;
Friday, Nov.16, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Union County Health Department, 940
LondonAve.; and Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2-4 p.m., Union County Health
Department.The cost for Union County residents is $20 for flu shots; $24
forFluMist nasal spray; and $30 for pneumonia shots.An additional $5 per
shot is required for all non-Union Countyresidents. Medicare Part B and
Medicaid will cover the cost of flu andpneumonia shots, but Medicare and
Medicaid cards must be presented at the clinic.The CDC recommends
pneumonia shots for individuals age 65 or older whoreceived their first
pneumonia shot before age 65. People under the ageof 65 must bring a
doctor's order to receive a pneumonia shot.Child flu shots are available
during normal child immunization clinicsat the Union County Health
Department.For additional information on child flu vaccinations, contact the
healthdepartment at 642-0801 or 333-9461.For additional information on
flu clinics, call the health department's flu hot at 645-2028.

United
Way online auction underwayFrom J-T staff reportsUnited Way's online
auction back for second yearUnion County's largest online charity auction is
back for a second yearas the United Way of Union County opened the doors of
its online storefor business this week.From now through the end of the
month, Web browsers will be able to shoponline for discounts, deals, gifts
and bargains on United Way's Web siteat www.unitedwayofunioncounty.org.The
online auction is a supplemental fundraiser to the organization's annual
campaign.Items posted in the online catalog are the result of in-kind
product orservice donations from area businesses. To date, more than 125
itemstotaling more than $16,000 in value are up for bid. Items vary in
valuefrom as much as a $2,500 membership to Corazón Club & Spa to a
$10cookbook from the Kiwanis Club of Marysville."The online auction is a
great way for smaller businesses to participatein the United Way campaign
process because this gives them exposure forthe services they can provide,"
said Dave Bezusko, Campaign & PRDirector for the United Way of Union
County.Last year, United Way received more than 489,000 hits on its auction
Website in the event's first year, raising $13,165 to be used for
theprograms and services provided by the non-profit
organization.Participating businesses receive online exposure with their
posted itemsas well as additional free advertising options if they give
items of increased value."There are so many interesting items in the
auction and it truly givesyou an idea of the varied products and services
made here in UnionCounty," Bezusko said. "There's something on the auction
for everybody."United Way is working to raise $800,000 in its fall
campaign. To date,officials report that about half that amount has been
achieved viaworkplace campaigns and community-wide fundraisers.For more
information about United Way of Union County's Online Auction,visit the Web
site at www.unitedwayofunioncounty.org
or call (937) 644-8381.

Sewer lines may need workFormer county pipes could need $81 million in
upgradesBy RYAN HORNSWhen Marysville took on Union County's wastewater
utilities, it may havealso taken on upgrade projects totaling up to $81.7
million.At Thursday night's Marysville City Council meeting, Tom
Bulcher,Malcolm Pirnie senior associate, presented the Wastewater Master
StudyUpdate to members.In his executive summary, Bulcher explained that
Marysville used MalcolmPirnie, a Columbus engineering firm, to complete a
Wastewater MasterStudy in August 2004. The study recommended a new water
reclamationfacility be constructed in the southwest portion of
Marysville'sexisting service area. Property was then purchased, a permit
obtained,the facility was designed and it is now currently under
construction atthe intersection of U.S. 33 at Beecher Gamble Road.The
executive summary shows that since completion of the 2004 WastewaterMaster
Study, the city took over the Union County wastewater system,which services
the area south of Scottslawn Road and Watkins Road. Thearea has recently
seen "considerable planning for development by privatedevelopers that would
require a significant investment in wastewatercollection system
infrastructure to serve the area.""Why were we not told about this when we
originally purchased thelines?" Marysville city councilman David Burke
asked.He said he wondered if council had been misled about the
system's condition."I'm wondering at this time if we were given the
appropriateinformation," Burke said. "My understanding was that the lines
were adequate."Other council members agreed with his point.Marysville
public service director Tracie Davies explained that MayorTom Kruse was
"privy to that information."She explained that the intention of the
wastewater study update was tobe prepared for what is to come over the next
40 years. She said thecondition of the system is not the same as when it was
purchased fromUnion County. Marysville used to be under contract with the
county,which it made development options "very limited" in that area. But
oncethe contract was gone the "doors were opened" for new development.
Thiswill lead to needed upgrades in the system."Obviously, we're hoping
that the developers will help front that cost," Davies said.Burke said
this morning that less than half of the $81 million could beneeded up front,
as projects like Bayly Pointe and Jerome Village moveforward. But he said
the city is "100 percent" committed to makingdevelopment pay for
development.In other business discussed:.Mike Witzky, executive director
of the Mental Health and Recovery Boardof Union County, asked for city
council's endorsement for a 0.5-millreplacement levy up for vote on Nov.
6.Witzky explained that this comes up once every 10 years.He said the
current owner of a $100,000 home property evaluation pays$10.50 a year. If
the 0.5-mill replacement levy passes, that price wouldgo up $4.82 to a total
of $15.32 a year.Gore said that it was too late for council to put an
official ordinanceon a future agenda, but he personally offered his
support."I think the work you do is outstanding for the county," councilman
Ed Pleasant said.The other council members also vocalized their
support..The first reading of an ordinance was read to appropriate $575,000
fromCity Water Fund, to put in the Water Incremental Capacity Fee Fund
topay for the raw water line at Maple and Main streets for the
water reservoir..The first reading was held on an ordinance to
appropriate $967,000 fromWater Improvement and Replacement Funds to pay for
constructionengineering services for the reservoir..The second reading
and public hearing was held on the ordinance toappropriate $152,526 from the
general fund to pay for a comprehensivecity traffic study..The second
readings were held on two ordinances to accept thededication of park land in
Scott Farms and The Woods at Mill Valley fromM/I Homes of Central
Ohio.Councilman Mark Reams said he remains skeptical that this land should
be accepted."It's not park land," he said. "I don't see why the city
would want totake responsibility for that."He said the land would just
become an addition mowing burden on cityworkers instead of being the
responsibility of a homeowners association..Burke offered his praise to
the Marysville Police Department, saying hewas extremely proud of its
response time regarding thieves breaking intohis pharmacy Tuesday
morning.

The rules of adulthoodProsecutor talks with students about
consequences foroffenders over the age of 18By MAC
CORDELLThe judicial system has drawn a line, treating adult offenders
vastlydifferent from juvenile offenders.Union County Prosecutor Dave
Phillips wants to make sure area residentsabout to make the transition from
juvenile to legal adult are fullyaware of those differences."A lot of
this behavior goes on, without the young person realizing theseriousness of
their behavior," Phillips said. "It is really not abehavior that is all that
uncommon for a lot of high school students,but when you do it as an adult,
18 or over, it becomes a much more serious offense."Phillips spent
Thursday at North Union High School helping to educatestudents about the
law.Marcia Livingston, family and consumer sciences teacher, coordinated
thepresentation as part of the life management class that is mandatory
forall seniors at North Union High School."One of the things that crops
up a lot with these students is the law,"Livingston said. "They think they
are still in a sort of protectivebubble because they are in high school and
they are not. It is aboutage, not whether they are in school."These kids
need this information, because they don't know. Some of themthink they know
about the law, but they don't."Phillips explained there are two very
different philosophies of justicewhen dealing with juvenile and adult
offenders.The juvenile court system, Phillips said, looks at the offender
andtries to implement a plan to change that individual's thought
process and behaviors."The juvenile system is basically set up to be
restorative," Phillipssaid. "The adult system looks at the same behavior in
a much more punitive way."Phillips took with him a written scenario
involving an newly turned 18year-old named Kyle. In the scenario, Kyle goes
to a party at the homeof one of his underage friends. He takes with him
several pills from hismothers medicine cabinet. He also takes beer he got
from his brother.Kyle gives some of the pills away and is seduced by a
younger girl.Ultimately one of the party goers dies from side effects of
alcohol and the pills."It is based on cases we have had and prosecuted
here in Union County,because kids say, 'That never happens,' but it does,"
Phillips said.Livingston said that was important."Once they said, 'Yeah,
this is something that could easily happen,' he(Phillips) had them hooked,"
the teacher said. "He could really relateto where the kids were coming from
and that gave him a lot ofcredibility with them."After Phillips talked
with the students about the law and thedifferences between juvenile and
adult court, he gave them the scenario,allowed them to read it, then walked
through the fictitious events ofthe evening, pointing out criminal
violations along the way."There are kids taking drugs from the parents,
taking them to school andpassing them out, we know this because we have
gotten calls about it,"Phillips said. "That is not only drug possession, but
also drugtrafficking, even as a gift. What I am trying to impress upon them
isthe seriousness of the offense."Livingston said she believes Phillips
was able to get his message across."I think, for the kids, their eyes
just popped open," Livingston said.The prosecutor said that was the
key."Hopefully, by informing them of the law, and ignorance of the law is
nodefense, we can deter some of that behavior," Phillips said.Phillips
said he is looking to make similar presentations at otherschools in the
county. Livingston said she will do everything she can tomake sure he
returns to North Union."Part of my philosophy about my job as prosecutor, is
that I am toeducate people, both in how not to become a victim, but also how
tocomply with the law," Phillips said.Phillips said the measure of the
program's success will be the number ofstudents he doesn't see."We do
have a lot of young offenders who do not understand the gravityof their
behavior," Phillips said. "I think we see a lot of cases wherewe can look at
young perpetrators and say, 'That was really dumb.' So ifwe can educate the
kids and get them to think before they act, if we canstop one kid from
taking pills from their parents' medicine cabinet orkeep one kid from
passing out their prescription medication, then Ithink it was
effective."When things get to my office or to the coroners office, it is too
lateto educate kids," Phillips said. "Young people tend to
regardprescription drugs as safe and they are not when they are
abused.Hopefully we can educate them on that."

Escapees captured, arraignedBy RYAN HORNSTwo inmates who escaped from
the West Central Community CorrectionalFacility Tuesday night were captured
in Logan County Wednesday morning.Inmates Eliberto Deleon III, 19, of
Bellefontaine and William Kaim, 19,of Marion were found driving a stolen
vehicle in Bellefontaine at 11:45a.m. Wednesday and were finally apprehended
after a 15-hour search.The two inmates had just weeks remaining on their
sentences at WestCentral, but those sentences may soon become more than five
years eachin maximum security prisons for the escape charges. Additional
chargesare expected to be filed.Deleon and Kaim reportedly walked out of
West Central Tuesday at 9:45p.m. and at the time were believed to be headed
toward Richwood.Union County Sheriff's Office public information officer
Chris Skinnersaid this morning that at 11:33 a.m. Wednesday, a Bellefontaine
policeofficer saw the stolen car - a silver 1999 Chrysler Sebring, with
adistinctive white driver side door - and followed it until the
driversstopped outside of a Goodwill store in the city. He said that Kaim
wasdriving the vehicle and Deleon was inside as well. There were no
otherpassengers."They did not attempt to flee and they did not attempt
to resist,"Skinner said.Deleon and Kaim were arraigned this morning in
the Marysville MunicipalCourt before Judge Bob Parrott."You two have
both been charged with the same offense," Parrott said."You are both charged
with escape."Parrott said escape is a third-degree felony offense,
punishable withanywhere from one to five years in prison.Prosecutor Rick
Roger pointed out the pair are obviously flight risks,since they have been
charged with escape.Parrott then set their bonds at $150,000 cash each, with
no 10 percentallowed."How many crimes are we being indicted on?" Kaim
asked the judge.Parrott did not specify the additional charges, adding only
that othercharges are expected and the two will be brought back into court
forarraignment on those at a later time.Skinner explained that the two
could face burglary, theft and grandtheft auto charges as well.Deleon
and Kaim reportedly cut the screen to a garage in the 16000 blockof Moore
Road Tuesday night and were thought to have taken two bikes.While the
evidence on that theft remains under investigation, the twomay have ridden
the bicycles to the 22000 block of Wolford Maskill Roadwhere the Sebring was
later reported stolen.It was the same vehicle the two were found driving in
Bellefontaine, hesaid.Skinner said it is important to note that West
Central remains a "verysafe and very professional" facility."We don't
want the actions of two men to reflect on the West CentralCommunity
Correctional Facility or any of the other inmates," Skinnersaid. "They offer
a valuable service to Union County."Facility director Dave Ervin said that
West Central does not acceptviolent offenders and essentially provides a
rehabilitation service tocriminals to help them transition from maximum
security and towardgetting their lives back in order upon their
release.Skinner said Union County Sheriff Rocky Nelson acknowledged
residentsfor their participation in the Code Red program, which notified
citizensnear the escape area via telephone to be on the lookout for Deleon
andKaim.He said a call went out Tuesday at about 11 p.m. to notify 800
to 900residents of the escape and another went out Wednesday at about 6
a.m.to notify 1,400 residents of the vehicle description as well as
thedescription of the inmates."We are very pleased that Code Red
worked," Skinner said.

Megafarm planned in JA school districtBy MAC
CORDELLThe permitting process for a 5,428 cow dairy planned for
northernMadison County is moving forward.Thomas Menke, president of
Menke Consulting Inc., said Tuesday that hisfirm was finalizing answers to
several questions posed by the OhioDepartment of Agriculture as part of the
permitting process. He saidthose answers should be submitted to ODA later
this week.Menke is organizing the project for three brothers from the
Netherlandswho will take control of the dairy farm once it has been
constructed.The group filed an application in January requesting permission
toconstruct a large confined animal feeding operation on the Orleton
Farmat the intersection of Routes 29 and 38.Menke said the 5,290-acre
farm, which is 2.1 miles from both Plumwoodand Choctaw Lake, would house
4,420 mature milking cows and 1,008 drycows."This would be the largest
farm like this in the state, by far," saidMadison County Commissioner Chris
Snyder.Menke said he hopes to break ground on the dairy in late winter or
earlyspring 2008, with some cows hopefully on the ground later that
year."Hopefully this time next year, there will be a chance to have
animalson site," Menke said.Feed will not be an issue for the dairy.
Because of the size of thefarm, owners will be raising enough crops to feed
the livestock."It does look like they are going to use environmentally sound
manuremanagement practices," Snyder said. "Even with the manure
managementplan, they have, we all know there are going to be some
smells."According to information from Menke, the manure and water will not
bestored in lagoons like the other mega farms in the area.Manure will be
collected from the barn three times each day. Sand, whichwill be used at the
farm for bedding, will be separated and washed to bereused. Fibrous solids
will be separated and applied to fields.Additional solid wastes will be
separated from liquid waste.The liquid will be treated at the farm and used
to irrigate crops andwash the sand. The remaining solids will be used as
fertilizer for thecrops. He said, as with any manure, there will be some
odor to what isspread on the field, but said it will be knifed into the
groundimmediately.The dairy has been opposed by some neighbors and
received support fromothers. An opposition group, Darby Creek Matters, has
been formed. Thatgroup spoke to the Jonathan Alder School Board on Monday,
hoping to drawsupport from the board. The group has said the farm, which it
says willbe 1,700 feet from Monroe Elementary, could pose health concerns to
theelementary students due to pollution and sewage disposal.Commissioner
David Dhume said he realized neighbors may have concerns;however, there is
not much local authorities can do."This is the position the state has put
the county in," Dhume said."We have to follow the law and work within the
legislation set down bythe state of Ohio."ODA will hold a series of
public meetings regarding the proposed dairyfarm. Menke said his firm always
expects some opposition."But once the farm is built, we are looking forward
to showing MadisonCounty that agriculture can still exist in an environment
friendly way,"Menke said.He added that he expects the farm to be a model
for others to use andhopes it can be used as a research facility at some
point.

Police look for pair who broke into Dave's PharmacyFrom J-T
staff reportsTwo suspects are on the loose after breaking into a local
pharmacyTuesday.Marysville Assistant Police Chief Glenn Nicol said that
at 3:15 a.m. amale and a female pried open the doors to Dave's Pharmacy on
West FifthStreet.Nicol said that the two were only in the store for a
few minutes.When the alarm sounded officers were only a few blocks away,"
Nicolsaid.When police arrived on the scene, the two were gone. They made
off withan undisclosed number of pharmaceuticals.He said typically,
those who break into pharmacies often steal drugslike Percocet.Nicol
said that after hitting the Marysville Pharmacy, the same coupleis believed
to have broken into a pharmacy on the west side of Columbusand another in
Clark County near Enon.The crime in Marysville was caught on video and
police have issued aphoto of the suspects inside the building.If any
residents know the suspects or see them, they are asked tocontact the
Marysville Police Department.

County's financial picture said to be goodBy MAC CORDELLBob Fry, an
independent contractor hired by the commissioners toevaluate the county's
financial position, Tuesday offered his evaluationof the county's financial
position through three-quarters of 2007."In the 10 years I have been doing
this, this is probably the bestpicture I have ever seen," Fry told the
commissioners.He said through three quarters of the year, the county is at
79 percentof expected revenue and 69 percent of appropriated expenses.He
added he was not looking at more than two to three percent increasein
revenue for 2008."So you can draw whatever conclusions from that," he said
of the 2008budget process, which has already began.He reiterated the
positive position the county was in for 2007.According to Fry's figures, he
projected the county would draw revenueof $18,905,000 for 2007. Last year,
Union County Auditor Mary Snyderconservatively estimated revenue for 2007 at
$16,360, 169. ThroughSeptember, county revenue is at $14,895,446, up more
than $1 millionover the same time period last year.Fry credited the good
year in sales tax, up more than $768,000 over thesame period last
year.The commissioners reminded him that last year, Union County had
toreturn $800,000 in sales tax revenue to the state to reimburse
aprevious overpayment from the state.Commissioner Tom McCarthy said that
in truth, sales tax was "running flat.""For 24 months, the sales tax has
been pretty much static," he said.The only revenue item below 69 percent of
the yearly projected amount is grants."There is nothing you can do about
grants," Fry told the commissioners."Every year they go down."On the
expenses side of the ledger, Fry was nearly as pleased. He saidthat while
the county revenue is at nearly $14.9-million, expenses areat just under
$13.2-million, or 69 percent of this year's appropriations."Now that's
not bad at all," Fry said.McCarthy credited the county office
holders."It is just the office holders holding everything down," he
said.Commissioner Gary Lee said that over the last six years, office
holdershave spent less than 95 percent of their appropriated funds on
average.He said he appreciated that "responsibility." Lee said that in
manycounties, office holders will spend every dollar allotted to
them,whether they need the money or not."The office holders in this
county do not do that," Lee said.He added that the office holders ability to
control costs has "built alot of trust" and earned them some grace, if an
occasion arises wherethey need to request additional funds.McCarthy said
years ago, office holders would abuse that, purchasingequipment not included
in the budget, then returning to thecommissioners for additional funds to
purchase the equipmentspecifically included in the budget. He said that is
not a problem any longer.Commissioner Charles Hall said the county "is
going to push the limit,"on the equipment budget this year. He said there is
just $38,000, lessthan 10 percent, remaining in the equipment line item for
the year."Most of that is already encumbered," Lee said.In July, Fry
expressed slight concern on the appropriations side, sayingthe county was,
"spending a little more," but overall was pleased withthe county's financial
picture at the half-way mark. At that time he didsay property transfer fees
were down significantly through two quarters.That revenue has rebounded in
the third quarter and now sits at 70percent of yearly projection.The
Union County Commissioners asked Fry if he would be willing tocontinue
evaluating the county's financial status."This is invaluable to us,"
McCarthy said.Lee said the county could have an employee do the appraisal,
but theywould be more likely to sugar coat the results. He said he
appreciateshaving an "independent view," that he knows, "isn't going to skew
it."Fry said he enjoyed the task because it keeps him active in the
countyand current practices."I don't do this for the money," Fry said,
though he added that he felthe was fairly compensated for his work.The
commissioners said they would present a contract for Fry's servicesto the
prosecutor's office for approval

Two inmates on the runLawmen are
looking for pair who left West Central CommunityCorrectional
Facility------------UPDATE: The two inmates that escaped from the West Central
CommunityCorrections Facility were caught in a stolen vehicle in
Bellefontaineshortly after press time. Read Thursday's paper for follow up
story.------------By RYAN HORNSA manhunt has been under way since Tuesday evening
for two inmates whoescaped from the West Central Community Corrections
Facility.Union County Sheriff's Office public information officer Chris
Skinnersaid this morning that Tuesday at 9:45 p.m., inmates Eliberto
DeleonIII, 19, and William Kaim, 19, both walked out the door of the
minimumsecurity facility located at 18200 Route 4, just north of
Marysville.Sheriff's deputies and a helicopter sent from Franklin County
assistedin the search Tuesday night and this morning. Many officers were on
thescene until well after 2 a.m. for the initial search.If caught,
Skinner said, the two may be trading minimum securitysentences for much
longer maximum security terms. The big question nowis why the two would
escape, since both reportedly had only weeksremaining on their current
sentences."We have no speculation as to what they were thinking," Skinner
said.West Central director David Ervin said that when the two are
caught,"They will do a lot more time."Skinner said Deleon was
incarcerated on June 5 and was scheduled to bereleased on Oct. 22. Kaim was
incarcerated on May 24 and was set forrelease on Nov. 5.He explained
that Deleon had been serving time in a Marion Countymaximum security prison
for a previous escape charge and had been movedto West Central for good
behavior. Kaim was serving time for possessionof drugs and drug
paraphernalia, receiving stolen property and vandalism charges.Residents
are asked to keep a look out for both escapees, Skinner said.Deleon is
described as a 5-10 white male, weighs 165 pounds, and hasbrown eyes and
black hair. Kaim is listed as 5-1, weighs 136 pounds andhas blue eyes and
brown hair.Skinner said Deleon and Kaim left wearing Phase II prison
issueclothing, which consists of green button down shirts, blue jeans with
atan belt, and white tennis shoes.Officials know that Deleon also took
with him a purple, gray and whitepolo shirt that was in his locker. Deleon
or Kaim may now be wearing this shirt.Union County Sheriff Rocky Nelson
said that the county Code Red systemwas activated in the area where the
escapees were believed to betraveling in order to warn about 800 to 900
homes in the area.After the inmates escaped, Skinner said, two crimes were
reported whichmay have been committed by the pair."We have not confirmed
the linkage yet," he said.But common sense indicates the crimes may be
related to the inmates, hesaid. Two bikes were stolen from a property in the
16000 block of MooreRoad during a burglary. A car was later stolen from the
22000 block ofWolford Maskill Road, which is near Moore Road.Skinner
said the two bikes were later found near where the car wasstolen, just
inside a corn field.Law enforcement officials advise residents to look for a
silver 1999Chrysler Sebring with the license plate EBJ5019. The car can be
spottedeasily because the vehicle is silver, except for one white driver
side door.Skinner said the crimes occurred within walking distance of
thecorrectional facility and were in line with the northern direction
theinmates are believed to be traveling.The two previously had held work
release jobs together at MAIManufacturing located at 150 Ira Bean Parkway in
Richwood.Skinner said the escapees may have made contacts with people in
thatarea and could be seeking them out for help.Unconfirmed reports have
also indicated that the two escapees may havestolen another car in
Newark.Ervin said that over the years, there have been five or six escapes
fromWest Central, a facility organized to accept non-violent offenders.
Hesaid some have been sent to the prison to serve out the remaining
sixmonths of their sentence in minimum security after good beaver
atmaximum security prisons.The most recent escape involved a woman who
picked her husband upoutside the facility on May 8, 2006. The two were later
found andconvicted on escape charges.Altogether, Ervin said, there have
been five or six cases of escapes.Most have been attributed to inmates
walking away from work releasesites. All were later located, convicted and
sent back to prison.Ervin said he hopes to lower local residents' fears
about of what thetwo men are capable."There is no indication that they
are violent," he said. "As you know,we do not take violent offenders here.
They also have no history ofsexual offenses."Ervin said he had been
receiving calls this morning from area schoolofficials, who were worried
about the escapees.There was a concern if the schools should be placed on
lock down or ifthey should cancel recess until the escapees are
found.Ervin was also asked if the two had been showing any recent signs
thatthey may have been capable of walking away."Were they having some
difficulty? They were." Ervin said about theirbehavior leading up to their
escape. "But I don't know yet to what extent."

Unionville Center
deals with fall, winter service contractsBy AUDREY HALLPlans for fall
and winter services were the main topics at Mondaynight's Unionville Center
Village Council meeting.Sealed estimates for leaf pick-up, storm sewer drop
cleaning and snowremoval may be given to Mayor Denver Thompson or brought to
the Nov. 13 meeting.All estimates must be accompanied by proof of
liability insurance andeach service should be a separate estimate.The
guidelines for the estimates for services are as follows: leafpick-up is
scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 17. Pick-up will be on one dayonly. Snow
removal is expected when there is a snow fall of two inches or
more.Estimates should include salt for designated major intersections.
Thereare approximately 40 storm sewer drops in the village.The annual
resolution accepting the amounts and rates as determined bythe budget
commission and authorizing the necessary tax levies andcertifying them to
the county auditor was approved. The current propertytax rate of 2.95 mils
is in effect for the tax years 2007 to 2011. Theamount of revenue generated
for the general fund is $4,400. The insiderate of one mill generates $2,300
for the general fund.Phil Rausch, representative to the Pleasant Valley Fire
District,reported that Fire Safety Week will be celebrated with an open
house onSunday from noon to 4 p.m. at the fire station. There are a variety
ofactivities planned for the day. The Me Flight helicopter is scheduled
tobe present from noon to 1 p.m.There will be fire extinguisher classes,
vehicle extricationdemonstrations, station tours, Union County EMA
demonstration/displayand the Smoke House will be on site for children and
adults to practiceexiting safely from a burning building.Tracy Rausch
and Peggy Williamson represented council at an Oct. 4meeting for the Union
County Covered Bridge Festival, which is beingplanned for next September.
Rausch shared some of the suggestions fromthe meeting. Council expressed an
interest in community participation in the event.Election Day is Tuesday,
Nov. 6. Mayor Thompson and clerk-treasurerTracy Rausch will be on the
ballot. Council member Phil Rausch will berunning for re-election as a
write-in candidate. There is still one open seat on council. Any concerned
resident who isinterested in the welfare of the community can be appointed
by the mayorto fill the position, it was reported.Council members
present were Ron Griffith, Mary Lou Morris, Phil Rausch,Brenda Terry and
Peggy Williamson.The next scheduled meeting will be on Tuesday, November 13
at 6:30 p.m.

JA board asked to oppose megafarmBy CORINNE BIXThe Darby Creek Matters
group wants the Jonathan Alder School Board tounequivocally oppose the
placing of a 5,200-acre megafarm orconcentrated animal feed operation (CAFO)
within 1,700 feet of Monroe Elementary.The group expressed to the board
Monday night its many health concernsdue to pollution and sewage disposal
that could unduly harm elementarystudents and residents of the village of
Plumwood.Alan Garcia, Darby Creek Matters representative, said it is
estimatedthat if the CAFO is built, 40 acres will be devoted to sewage
lagoonsand 383 tons of sewage will be disposed of each day. In addition,
theprevailing winds blow southwest from the proposed site directly
towardsMonroe and Plumwood.Garcia also mentioned that the Oreleton Farms
CAFO proposed for theRoute 29 and 38 site is owned by Vreba Hoff who has a
lengthy history ofpollution violations in Ohio, Michigan and
Indiana.Another primary concern is to protect the Darby Watershed, which
isconsidered a pristine cold water habitat and is home to 37 rare
and endangered species.Superintendent Doug Carpenter said he has written
letters to variousstate officials, including the governor, against the
proposed CAFO onbehalf of Darby Creek Matters.Board members agreed that
it was in the best interest of districtstudents to research the
issue."We believe your part is vital to our cause," Garcia said.Monroe
Elementary was back open today after a water pump unexpectedlyburnt out
early Monday morning, causing the school to close for the day.Carpenter
said a new pump was ordered from the closest supplier inFlorida, and it will
take four days to ship. Therefore, someone from theschool district traveled
to Cleveland on Monday to purchase a used pumpso school could open
today.Carpenter said he feels issues like this will only become more
frequent,because of how highly technical internal systems such as water
are becoming.He said, in part, the high-tech systems are a reaction to
EPA mandateswhich require everything from more involved systems to hiring
acertified water operator at a cost of $18,000 per year.Chris Long,
Plain City Public Library, informed the board that thelibrary will be on the
ballot in November for a 0.75-mill operating levy.She thanked the board
for its continued support. The school districtacts as the taxing authority
for the library and is also responsible forappointing library board
members.However, Long reiterated that all budgets and operating costs
arecompletely separate between the two entities.Jane Sonenshein, state
board of education, presented the board with abanner celebrating its
"excellent" rating by the state.The board adjourned into executive session
to consider the appointment,dismissal, promotion, demotion, or compensation
of a public employee. Noaction was taken.The next regular meeting will
be Nov. 19 at 7 p.m.In other action, the board:.Approved the resignation
of Darin Curtis as boys basketball assistant coach..Approved the
resignation as retire/rehire for Bill Dulgar as busmechanic, effective Jan.
1..Approved the employment of Rick Hutton, boys basketball
varsityassistant coach; Ryan Swinehart, boys basketball freshman coach;
DarinCurtis, boys basketball volunteer assistant; Laura Hipp, Title 1
tutorat Monroe elementary for up to 10 hours per week, effective Aug. 28;
andMaggie Gates, home tutor for one hour per day of absence of
student..Approved classified substitutes Lisa Kaltenbach, Sheila McNichols
and Rebecca Kutz..Approved certified substitutes Sharon Berry, Relva
Blackstone, DorothyBranham, Jennifer DeWitt, Jeremy Hartman, Jennalee
Lafferty, RitaMcCray, Jami Oyster, Linda Roberts, Sharon Shoaf, Andrea Todd
and Hazel Williams..Approved in-lieu of transportation
requests..Reviewed the summer repair and improvements report, the state
reportcard for the district and information on the Plain City
Reinvestment Area..Commended Cheryl Brockman for receiving a $500 grant
dealing with energy education..Commended students for their performance
on AP (Advanced Placement)tests last year - Tommy Kellett, Kendalyn Schrock,
Erica Thomas andEmily Trombley, who all scored a "5" on the junior English
test; LukeBenedict and Clayton Greenbaum for scoring a "5" on the calculus
test;and Dusty Bollinger and Adam Bollinger for scoring a "4" on the
calculus test..Commended Gehres Landscaping for the new plants, grass
seed and mulchfor the front of the Plain City Elementary
building.

Zoning change considered to lure soccer clubBy MAC
CORDELLCouncil members are considering changes to Plain City's zoning code
inan effort to draw a girl's soccer club headquarters.Gary Kay, managing
partner of Jefferson Street Properties, addressedcouncil Monday to see if
there is any way to expedite the process.He said his company owns eight
acres at 250 S. Jefferson St., in thevillage, on the southwest corner of
U.S. 42 and Route 161, not includingthe retail frontage. He said on the
property is 37,000 square feet ofwarehouse and Ohio Girl's Premiere Soccer
has inquired about leasingspace to put its headquarters and indoor practice
facilities, withoutdoor fields possible. Kay said the facility would draw
severalhundred families each week to the village.The problem is, Kay's
property is zoned Industrial. The industrialzoning carries a specific
prohibition on athletic training facilities.Village solicitor Michael
McCarthy said it was unusual for any propertyto request a tighter zoning
designation."You better be careful what you ask for," McCarthy
said."Once it is changed to less, getting it back to more can be
difficult,"the solicitor told Kay.Kay questioned the possibility of a
variance for his property. McCarthysaid that would be difficult, but added
that athletic trainingfacilities, "probably do fit quite nicely in
industrial zoning."Council president pro-tem Bob Walter suggested the
possibility ofamending the list of acceptable uses in the industrial zoning
to include athletic training.McCarthy suggested Jefferson Street
Properties submit an application foramendment to the village planning and
zoning commission. Walter saidthat group meets next week and could possibly
get the matter on theagenda, if the application is received quickly.Kay
said the group initially wanted to sign a lease by Oct. 15 and theyare
looking at other sites. He said he had not really gotten involved inthe
negotiating process with the soccer club, choosing to leave that tothe real
estate agents."But they weren't getting anywhere and I said, as the owner, I
betterget involved," Kay told council."I don't want to lose these guys
to Dublin," Kay said. "I would like to keep them here."He said he
believes the families will support Plain City businesses andwill likely
generate some property tax value for the city."I think this would generate
some revenue for the city," Kay said.Walter questioned whether this was the
best use of the property for thevillage or if actual industry would not draw
more revenue for Plain City.Kay said he thought retail was probably the
best use for the property.Walter said industrial and office uses offer
higher economic return tothe village than retail. Walter then said he would
support a conditionaluse permit that would attach to the property, but if
the property wereabandoned by the business using that conditional permit,
the permitwould be withdrawn.He said the process of changing the zoning
code would take a minimum of45 days, but added that Kay could likely begin
talking specifics withthe soccer club, if the zoning commission approved his
application next week.Other council members said they supported the idea
of having the soccerclub call Plain City home."I like the sound of it,"
said councilman Mark Hostetler.Todd Skidmore added, "It sounds like a good
idea."

Flames claim 150-year-old houseFrom J-T staff reportsArea
firefighters were unable to save a 150-year-old house which burnedto the
ground this morning.Leesburg Township Fire Chief Jim Hall said that just
before 5 a.m. hisdepartment got a call that the house at 10700 Hopewell Road
was engulfedin flames. No one was inside at the time and no one was
injured.Neighbor Steve McDulin said he woke up 20 minutes before 5 a.m. to
thesounds of what seemed like someone trying to break into his home.
Itturned out to be his only warning that a fire was going on next
door."Some passersby were beating on (my) house," McDulin said. "I
didn't smell a fire."No one was inside at the time, Hall said, because
the homeowners live inDelaware. They had recently finished a two-year
remodeling job and werein the process of moving in. He said the origin of
the fire was in theback of the house.Hall said the house was a total
loss. He preferred to have the structuretorn down, but wanted to notify the
owners first.As crews rolled up water hoses before leaving, he said he did
not knowif the family knew the home was gone or not."We haven't found
anything that indicates a cause. There were no paintsupplies inside," he
said.Hall said firefighters remained on the scene until 9 a.m. trying to
makesure the fire stayed out."I fully expect it to rekindle," Hall
said.Because of the age of the house, he said, the wooden beams making up
thestructure consisted of thick old wood. As a result, it may take a
sometime to fully go out.After calling for fire crews, McDulin said he
stepped outside and wassurprised that there was very little smoke."It
went fast," he said.It was sad to see the house destroyed, McDulin said. It
was built in1840 and eventually became the house where his wife was
born.Hall said Leesburg was helped by Northern Union, Marysville and
BattleRun fire departments. The Union County EMA also was on the
scene.

Richwood residents ask for property repairs after sewer
projectBy CHAD WILLIAMSONResidents in the area of Ottawa Street,
including one Richwood VillageCouncil member, do not feel their properties
were returned to theiroriginal condition after storm sewer line work this
summer.East Ottawa Street resident Jim Inskeep approached council Monday
nightand said his property needs work."It was supposed to be put back as
existing," Inskeep said.He said after crews installed the sewer line, the
ground settled andcaused a dip in his front yard. He also said a newly laid
driveway hascracked because of the settling ground beneath it.Inskeep
said he has talked to the contractor three times about theproblems and
nothing has been done. He also noted that the dirt used tofill in the area
did not include topsoil.Council member George Showalter added that he and
other residents in thearea have experienced the same problem. Showalter said
he's got a lowspot in his front yard that has not been fixed."It's low,"
Showalter said. "I hate to be a constant complainer but it's low."He said
none of the homeowners in the area were asked if they weresatisfied with the
completed work. He said grass seed has been plantedin the area and he hopes
the contractor is not finished.Village administrator Larry Baxa said the
village does withhold aportion of the contractor's money until all work on
the project iscompleted. He said he will get the company to come back to
deal with theissues raised by the homeowners.Council also discussed a
Memorial Hospital of Union County sign whichwas proposed to the village
years ago as part of the purchase agreementfor the village administration
building.The building is a former doctor's office that is owned by the
hospital.Memorial Hospital is willing to sell the property to the village at
areduced price if the village will grant the organization an easement
toplace a permanent sign near the industrial park entrance on Route
47.Hospital officials approached the village about the issue several
yearsago but details were never finalized. As part of the agreement
thehospital would sell the property to the village for $10,000.
Villagesolicitor Victoria Stone-Moledor said the hospital would be willing
toaccept a $1,000 down payment and a $1,000 payment each year.
Villagefinancial officer Don Jolliff said the village would rather build
thefull payment of $10,000 into the 2008 budget.Stone-Moledor and
Richwood Mayor Bill Nibert will meet withrepresentatives of the hospital and
the prosecutors office to securemore details of the deal and then report
back to council.In other business, council:.Learned that the village's
insurance premium will not increase this year..Heard that the police
department has purchased two new batteries forthe speed indicator sign at a
cost of $136..Hearned that the police department is accepting donations to
purchasecandy for trick-or-treat night. Last year officers paid $90 for
candy..Heard that the haunted shelter house at the park will only be open
onSaturday, Oct. 27 from 6-10 p.m. The attraction was to have been open
onFriday also, but those plans have been scrapped..Discussed eliminating
parking on the north side of East Bomford Streetbetween Pearl and School
streets..Learned that the village will continue chipping brush until the end
ofthe October. Pick-up of bagged leaves will begin soon. Only leaves
areto be put into these bags, council was told..Learned Ohio Edison will
begin switching to sodium vapor lights frommercury vapor lights at the first
of the year. The lights will have amore yellow glow than the previous
ones.

Family removed from court during sentencingBy MAC CORDELLIt took an
eight woman, four man jury more than five hours over twodays, but it
eventually convicted a local man of attacking a UnionCounty Sheriff's
Deputy.The jury found John R. Bailey, of 67 Commercial St., in Milford
Center,guilty of one count of assault, a felony of the fourth
degree.Moments after the jury read the verdict, Union County Common Pleas
CourtJudge Richard E. Parrott sentenced the 36-year-old Bailey to 12
monthsin prison, and while family members were on hand to hear the
verdict,they were not in the courtroom when sentence was pronounced.As
the jury foreman read the verdict, Bailey's family began to weep andcall
out, slamming their fists together and throwing themselves onto the courtroom
benches.."She (Bailey's wife) is to go out of the courtroom," Parrott said.
"Itried to tell her ahead of time. I tried to tell everybody. I am
not going to have it."Bailey's trial lasted less than a day and featured
several lawenforcement officials, a desperate 911 call from the defendant's
wife,testimony from Bailey's family and the defendant taking the stand in
his own defense.The defendant testified that July 3, he was angry with
his wife and hedecided to leave the residence to try to cool down.While
the man was out of the house, the defendant's wife made a call to911
requesting emergency help in dealing with BaileyDeputies testified that when
they responded to the call, Bailey was notat the home and the front door had
been damaged and a window was broken.They were told where Bailey was and
they went to get him. When thedeputies found the man, he began to run,
taunting the deputies as hedid. Despite repeated warnings to stop, Bailey
refused. When he waseventually caught, Deputies used their Tasers several
times on the man.It was after being captured that the defendant's story
varies from thedeputies account. Deputies testified that as they were
attempting toapprehend Bailey, he shoved one deputy and attempted to choke
anotherdeputy, ripping a pin off his shirt. Bailey said he may have bumped
onedeputy as he was falling after losing control once he was Tasered.
Hesaid he did not intentionally choke the officer.At one point in direct
examination, Bailey volunteered that he had no criminal record.Moments
after the prosecutor began questioning the defendant on crossexamination,
Parrott called for a recess. Once the jury had left thecourtroom, the judge
chastised Bailey about his testimony that he had no prior record"You lied
and you know you lied," Parrott said. "You know what yourrecord is. You
better straighten it up, or I am telling the prosecutorto take it to grand
jury and prosecute you on perjury."Parrott said the man's record was
lengthy, taking up nine pages. He saidit contained numerous traffic charges,
along with a drunk drivingconviction and a resisting arrest charge that was
pleaded down to disorderly conduct."You might be trying to fool this
jury, but you can't lie to me when Iam sitting here looking at it," Parrott
said.The defendant said he did not know he had a criminal record and
whenpushed further, he said he thought the prosecutor meant
"recently.""Oh, bull," the judge responded.During the sentencing portion
of the trial, the state requested a17-month prison sentence, just one month
short of the maximum."If the court wishes to issue a fine, that would be all
right," RickRodger, assistant Union County prosecutor, said.Defense
Council Elizabeth Gaba requested a presentence investigationbefore a prison
sentence was imposed so the judge could look morethoroughly into the
defendant's record. Parrott denied the requestsaying he had already seen the
defendant's criminal history and asked ifBailey had any other criminal
convictions not on his official record.Gaba said he did not.She then
asked the judge to go easy on her client."I would request the most lenient
sentence the court can give, your honor," Gaba said.The defense attorney
said her client is the sole caregiver for his wife,who has numerous physical
ailments."She is dying," Gaba said.Parrott asked if this was the same
woman he heard on the 911 tape. Gabasaid it was but added there have been no
incidents of domestic violenceor assault between Bailey and his
wife.Roger rebutted Gaba's arguments for leniency. He said he's been
dealingwith the Baileys for "some time." He said the defendant's wife is
"verycapable of functioning on her own" and her ailments are not new."I
would ask you not to take that into consideration, her care," Rodgersaid.
"She certainly has other family to take care of her other than
Mr. Bailey."The defendant said he has always cared for his wife."I
love my wife tremendously," he said, adding the couple justcelebrated their
20th wedding anniversary.He said he began drinking when he learned of his
wife's diseases, "it hit me hard," he said.He said he is the only one who
can take care of her. He then put theblame for the incident on the deputies
that responded to the call."These officers made me look like a monster
here," Bailey told the judge.He also said he is "not a bad person" and
again denied the offense."I did not try to choke the officer," Bailey told
the judge. "I did not.It did not happen in that way. It didn't. And I'm
sorry for everything,but it did not happen."Parrott said the protection
of the public required him to sentence Bailey to prison."It is good
public policy that we do not allow our law enforcementofficers to be
assaulted," Parrott said. "Because they are there.toprotect us and to make
sure we don't have antisocial behavior thatdisrupts the community and
disrupts the social order. So, policy is,they don't get assaulted. And if
they do, which in this case happened,then we are at the other end of it and
what we do in that case."I think it needs to be dealt with severely because
it is not only theprincipals and purposes of sentencing to punish the
offender, but alsoto deter others from doing the same thing. So if I slap
his hand andsay, 'go, don't do this again,' then anyone else who wants to
assault alaw enforcement officer can do so and say, 'well judge, you don't
doanything when that happens.' And I am not going to be a party to
that."The judge added, "the public needs protected."After issuing his
sentence, Parrott addressed early release. He told thedefendant to start
working on his general equivalency diploma."You start making progress on a
high school G.E.D., and I mean you dothat right away," Parrott said. "If you
show no progress and you apply(for early release) it will be turned down.
I'll tell you that right now."The judge said he would review Bailey's
progress when he requestedrelease. The judge also said he wanted to check on
prior 911 callsregarding the defendant.Parrott told the defendant that
if he did grant judicial release Baileywould be under strict guidelines and
monitored closely. If the defendantviolated any terms of the judicial,
"you'll serve every day of the restof your sentence," Parrott
said.

Business lends a hand to special needs classBy CORINNE
BIXIt's so much more than a new refrigerator for the eight special
needsstudents in Josh Montgomery's class at Marysville High School.When
the classroom refrigerator broke earlier this month, a good portionof
Montgomery's program was put on the back burner.Montgomery, an intervention
specialist who teaches daily living skillsand vocational skills, has built a
third of his teaching day around alunch program he started when he came to
the district three years ago."The skill of being able to prepare their own
meals is important tosurviving as an adult once they leave school,"
Montgomery said.Students in Montgomery's class have a variety of special
needs rangingfrom autism, mental retardation and hearing impairment.The
students in the class work every day to master all aspects of makingmeals
for themselves.The students go grocery shopping every Monday with money
provided tothem by their families.Before they leave to shop they prepare
grocery lists based on meal plansfor the upcoming week.Everyday around
11 a.m. the students start preparation for that day's lunch.Montgomery
said by noon most students are eating and a portion of theafternoon is
devoted to properly cleaning up after the midday meal."We use all the
appliances, including the oven, stovetop, microwave andtoaster oven,"
Montgomery explained.When the refrigerator died earlier this month,
Montgomery said theprogram had to be put on hold."They had to go to the
cafeteria and buy for the last two weeks," he said.Montgomery said the
problem couldn't be remedied via school fundsbecause there is currently a
freeze on all unplanned expenditures due tothe recent school levy failing in
August.It was the local Home Depot that ended up donating a new refrigerator
toMontgomery's classroom."Personally and as a school employee I am very
grateful that they wereable to help us," he said.The new refrigerator
was delivered on Wednesday, and Montgomery saidmany of his students were
cheering when it arrived.Tammy Basil's son, Michael DeNoewer, is one of
Montgomery's students.She said the lunch program has made a huge impact on
her son who isnon-verbal and has autism and epilepsy."The skills the
parent of a typical child takes for granted take anautistic kid a long time
to learn," Basil said.DeNoewer has been in Montogomery's class for the last
three years.Basil said she could still remember tears rolling down her face
thefirst time she watched her son prepare lunch."There's no way I can
explain to you how stunned I was to learn that myson could cook," Basil
said.She said that for a special needs child each step in a routine
dailyprocess has to be learned.Basil said in the instance of preparing
frozen green beans, there arereally seven steps from initially choosing to
make green beans to thefinal cooked product.Basil added that little
steps like choosing the appropriate saucepan oropting for a slotted spoon
are vital to the success of the end result."I've always wanted Michael to
gain as much independence as possible,"she said. "Every step he makes is one
closer to being independent."Basil said she is thankful to teachers like
Montgomery who are inventivein the way they teach and work with their
students

Sex offender arrestedWas living in area of Marysville middle and high
schools, had failed toreport to sheriff's dept.By MAC CORDELLA
convicted child molester out of Indiana has been arrested in UnionCounty,
living less than 1,000 feet from a local school.William Alan Jenks, 36, of
826 Watkins Glen Blvd., was arrested Fridaymorning, charged with one count
of failure to register as a sexoffender, a felony of the third degree. If
convicted, Jenks faces asmany as five years in prison for the
offense.The legal process is not new to Jenks. According to the
IndianaDepartment of Corrections, Jenks was ordered in Howard County Indiana
toserve six years in prison following a 1991 conviction for
criminalconfinement, eight years in prison for a 1997 conviction on
childmolestation stemming from a relationship with a 15-year-old girl,
fiveyears in prison following a 2001 conviction for burglary during
whichthe victim was stabbed, and one year in prison for January
2006convictions for resisting law enforcement and neglecting a
dependent.According to Union County Municipal Court documents, three of
Jenk'sprior convictions involved class A felonies, Indiana's most
seriouslevel of offense.Despite the one-year sentence on the most recent
charges, Jenks wasapparently released from prison in March 2006 and placed
on Indiana'sversion of post release control or parole. As part of that
parole, Jenksasked his supervising officer for permission to leave the state
in Julyand come to Marysville. That permission was granted.According to
Union County Municipal Court documents, Jenks beganreporting to authorities
in Union County for his parole. However,according to the charges, Jenks
failed to notify Union Countyauthorities that he is a convicted sexual
offender, required to registerin the county of his residence for the
remainder of his life.Thursday, police were called to a fight in the area of
Route 31, nearU.S. 33. At that time, Jenks was identified as a victim of the
allegedfight. After police released Jenks, they performed a routine
criminalrecords check which revealed his past as a sexual offender and
hisrequirement to register.Marysville Police Department Assistant Chief
Glenn Nicol and DetectiveDoug Ropp went to 752 Meadows Drive and found
Jenks. He informed lawenforcement he had been living in Marysville for about
two and a halfmonths. While Jenks gave police the Watkins Glen address,
lawenforcement officials believe he was living at the property on
MeadowsDrive. That property abuts Marysville High School and Middle
Schoolproperties, though investigators do not believe Jenks targeted
thatproperty because of its proximity to the schools."We believe it was
simply for convenience to his mother and girlfriend," said Nicol.Nicol
said the arrest should stress to sexual offenders and others thatlaw
enforcement officials will force offenders to comply with
reporting requirements."I think it show we are enforcing compliance with
sexual offenders,"Nicol said. "The law is no good if no one is following up
withenforcement of these sanctions."Sex offenders in Ohio, and in much
of the nation now, are classifiedinto three tiers depending on their
offense. They must register with thesheriff's office in their county of
residence several times a year, aswell as with the sheriff of any county
they work or go to school in. Thesheriff's office must be notified prior to
any change of address. Evenif an offender is visiting another county or
state for more than threeconsecutive days, they are required to notify the
sheriff in theircounty as well as the county they intend to visit.A
portion of the law in Ohio became effective July 1, and a portion willnot be
effective until January 1, 2008.For a list of sexual offenders registered in
Ohio, go towww.esorn.ag.state.oh.us.

Missing
man found safeFrom J-T staff reportsAn elderly man, missing for more
than a day, has been found.The Union County Sheriff's Office reported that
Billy Ray Stewart, 74,of the 16000 block of Allen Center Road, in Allen
Township, has been found.Law enforcement officials say the man left home
in his truck Thursdaymorning to visit relatives in Kentucky. Apparently he
failed to notifyany of his friends or family, including his wife of 55
years, whoreported him missing when he did not come home in the early
morning hours Friday.The man's disappearance baffled local law
enforcement officials as hehad no motive to intentionally go missing and no
evidence of foul play.

Fraser announces candidacy for
judge's seatFrom J-T staff reportLocal attorney Don Fraser has announced
his candidacy for judge of theUnion County Common Pleas Court. On Wednesday,
Fraser, a Republican,filed petitions with the Union County Board of
Elections to be certifiedas a candidate for the position which will be on
the March 4, 2008 primary ballot. Fraser, 55, was born and raised on his
family farm near Zanesfield, andhas been a resident of Union County since
1985. He is managing partnerof the law firm of Cannizzaro, Fraser, Bridges,
Jillisky and Streng,LLC, a firm he co-founded with partner John Cannizzaro
in 1982. Now withseven attorneys, it is Marysville's largest law
firm. He received a bachelor of science degree from the college
ofagriculture at The Ohio State University in 1975 and his Juris
Doctoratefrom Capital University Law School in 1979. He is admitted to
practicelaw by the Ohio Supreme Court, United States District Court for
theSouthern District of Ohio, United States Sixth Circuit Court of
Appealsand the United States Supreme Court. During his first years in
private practice in Marysville, Fraser alsoserved six years as an assistant
prosecuting attorney in Logan County.He has tried numerous criminal, civil
and domestic cases in his 28 yearsof experience. In recent years the focus
of Fraser's practice has beenon assisting individuals and families in the
preparation of wills andtrusts, estate planning, Medicaid planning, and
estate administration.In addition, he and partner Michael Streng serve as
general counsel toUnion Rural Electric Cooperative Inc. Fraser is
perhaps best known locally for his public service from 1995through 2002 as a
Union County Commissioner. He says he was recognizedas a leader for his
ability to work with both government and the publicto create consensus and
to effectively meet the demands of a growingcommunity. Upon his retirement
from the county commission, a Dec. 21,2002 Journal-Tribune article
interviewed him on several difficultdecisions he had to deal with during his
tenure. On the position of common pleas judge, Fraser said: "If elected, I
willstrive to meet and exceed the standards of excellence,
professionalismand integrity set by the judges that have presided in our
court beforeme. We should demand from every judge the strength of
characternecessary to make hard decisions, enforcement of the law as it
iswritten, patience to give every person a fair hearing and commitment
tojustice. The hallmark of a good judge is measured by how the
judgetreats the high office to which he or she is elected, as well as how
heor she treats the lawyers who practice before them and every person
whois part of the quest for justice. A judge must remain fair and
impartialthroughout the proceedings and make sound decisions based on
commonsense and the law." Fraser added: "In my eight years of service as
Union CountyCommissioner, I established a public record demonstrating to
thecitizens of this county that I can be such a judge. I would consider
itan honor to serve as Union County Common Pleas Judge and to be
heldaccountable by my fellow lawyers and the public as to how well I
measureup to these standards. I have demonstrated my ability to
workhand-in-hand with the Union County Commissioners and other
electedcounty officials to make the Union County government offices the
mostefficient, friendly and service-oriented offices in the state. I
haveexperience managing an office and a budget accountable to the
publictrust. We have a great team of elected officials in this county
thatrealize they are here to serve the needs of the public that put them
intheir position. I want to once again become a leader on that
team." Fraser is the current chair of the Union County Public
DefenderCommission, a member of the Ohio Public Defender Commission and a
memberof the Board of Trustees of the Union County Foundation. He is a
memberof a number of expert and professional organizations
includingWealthCounsel, LLC, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys,
MedicaidPractice Systems, Academy of Special Needs Planners, The Ohio Forum
ofEstate Planning Attorneys, Elder Law Answers, and Union County,
LoganCounty, Columbus, and Ohio State Bar
Associations.

Deputies looking for missing Allen Twp.
residentFrom J-T staff reportsThe Union County Sheriff's Office is
requesting the public's help inlooking for an elderly Allen Township
man.Billy Ray Stewart, 74, of the 16000 block of Allen Center Road,
wasdiscovered missing Thursday, about 10:40 a.m. The man's wife of 55
yearsdiscovered him missing. Stewart was not reported missing until the
earlymorning hours Friday."We are concerned, obviously, for his safety,"
said Union CountySheriff's Office Sgt. Chris Skinner.Stewart is about 6
foot tall and weights about 220 pounds. He has whitehair and blue eyes.
Skinner said the missing man has a faded army styletattoo on his right
forearm.He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a white shirt and a red
baseballhat. The man's vehicle is also missing. Skinner said Stewart will
likelybe driving a dark green, Ford F-150 pick-up truck, license plate
ER81KK,with a matching cap.Sheriff's deputies have searched all areas
where Stewart is known to frequent."We have been to all those areas
looking for him, church, friends,family, and all those people know to be
looking for him," Skinner said.He said investigators have no idea why the
man would go missing intentionally."The sheriff's office would appreciate
any help we can get from thepublic," Skinner said. "If anyone has seen him
since the time of thereport, or knows where he may be, we would appreciate
any help."Anyone with information on where Stewart or his vehicle are, or
havebeen since Thursday morning, is asked to call the Union County
Sheriff'sOffice at (937) 645-4110.

Bypass a long time comingRoute around Plain City was first proposed in the
1950sBy MAC CORDELL"A thing long expected, takes the form of the
unexpected, when at lastit comes," said Plain City Mayor Sandy Adkins. The
mayor quoted MarkTwain to summarize her feelings at Wednesday's ribbon
cutting of theU.S. 42 Bypass, just north of the village.She said it was
"exhilarating" to drive on the new bypass and called thecool, windy
afternoon, "a memorable day in the history of Plain City,"noting that it
will be marked in the village's history because it was solong in the
making.Union County Engineer Steve Stolte told the standing crowd assembled
atthe intersection of 42 and Route 736 in Jerome Township, that a
bypassaround the village was first suggested in the 1950s following an
OhioDepartment of Transportation study. He said it was again proposed in
the1960s by an ODOT hired consultant. Finally in 1994, the
villagecompleted a study recommending the bypass."ODOT picked that up
and ran with the ball," Stolte said, adding thatwhen the study completed,
the cost of the bypass was estimated at $1.3million. The final pricetag for
the project, which included relocatingUS 42, widening State Route 161
through Plain City and rehabilitatingseveral side roads and streets, was
around $4.3 million.Stolte thanked Adkins, along with former mayors Michael
George, L.H.Murphy and Freeman Yutzy for their persistence in pushing the
bypass toboth state and local officials in Union and Madison
Counties."It is only through the perseverance of these four mayors, this
projectstayed on the radar, stayed a number one priority."Construction
of the bypass began in May 2006, relocating 1.5 miles of US42 from downtown
Plain City to the village's northwest side. The newbypass is a little more
than eight-tenths of a mile long.Thomas J. Wester, ODOT district 6 deputy
director, said the ribboncutting was a "celebration of partnerships and
progress."Wester said the bypass was, "constructed to insure safety to the
Villageof Plain City and built to bring commerce to this corner of Union
andMadison Counties."He recognized the elected officials present at the
event and explained,"the investment we make in our highways and bridges
stimulates the local economy."Adkins too expressed belief that the bypass
will help drive thecommunity's economy. She said Plain City was once "a
blooming metropolis.""Over the years, all the trucks kind of took the
wind out of our sailsand the downtown kind of took a beating," Adkins
said.Trucks have caused parking concerns because many can not make the
turnfrom Main Street on to Chillicothe Street, and vice versa,
withoutcoming onto the sidewalk. The presence of semi trucks on the
sidewalkshas also discouraged pedestrian traffic in the downtown.
Additionally,curbs and cutouts have been destroyed by the weight of the
trucks andtheir trailers. According to ODOT, recent vehicle counts indicate
morethan 12,000 vehicles travel through Plain City on an average day.
Ofthat number, ODOT indicates more than 2,000 of the vehicles are
semitrucks. That represents an increase of nearly a 1,000 trucks per
day since 1999.Adkins says she believes the new truck free downtown will
encourage newretail growth and expansion of current businesses."It is my
hope the residents will do what they can to support therevitalization of the
downtown," Adkins said.She also thanked the residents for their patience
through the planningand the construction process. She acknowledged that, "up
until the dayit happened, people continued to say, 'I will believe it when I
see it.'"She said seeing it made her want to yell "Yahoo."Union
County Commissioner Tom McCarthy said the bypass was goodeconomically, not
just for Plain City, but for the entire county."This means jobs, this means
an expanded tax base, this mean good newsfor everybody here," McCarthy
said.Following McCarthy's comments, Plain City resident Rev. Dr.
CharlesStenner took the stage to offer a benediction."I am here to say
'Praise God,'" Stenner said to laughter and strongapplause. "I am one of
those who said I would believe it when I saw it."He then prayed for the
safety of all those who will travel the bridge.Along with the bypass, the 42
bridge over Big Darby Creek at the northend of the village at Route 736 was
replaced. The new bridge also openedMonday. The replacement bridge project
cost $2.7 million.The bypass has actually been open for several weeks,
though the bridgeon 42, north of the village still has the road closed.
Because a portionof 42 through the village is closed, traffic is routed onto
the newbypass. Main Street in the village is expected to be closed for
another two weeks.Village Administrator/Police Chief Steve Hilbert, took
time followingthe ceremony to thank the residents again for their
patience."We have really appreciated the understanding of the residents and
thebusinesses in the area of the bypass," Hilbert said. "We know
thesepeople have put up with a lot. They have put up with dirt, mud,
brokenwater pipes, noise, and they have been very understanding."After
the ribbon cutting, Adkins said the bypass ushers in an excitingperiod for
Plain City she said she is looking forward to "sprucing up"the downtown and
having residents walking the sidewalks again."We want to see a vibrant
downtown and we want to see our residents useit," Adkins said. "The trucks
have been the number one reason whyresident's and visitors have not come
downtown. Now we are reallylooking forward to the economic difference this
will mean for us and thelong term changes this will make."Adkins said
that while Wednesday's ribbon cutting was largely forgovernment and ODOT
dignitaries, the village will be sponsoring acelebration for Plain City
residents Saturday, Oct. 20, in the parkinglot at Plain City Lanes on 42 in
the south end of the village. She urgedall residents to attend and
celebrate. That celebration will feature theJonathan Alder High School band,
games, prizes, shopping, food, gifts,historical information on the bypass
and a "bye-bye barrel" sing along."We just hope to see our residents come
out, have a good time incelebration of our new bypass and bridge," Hilbert
said.He added that next spring and summer, ODOT will be repaving
N.Chillicothe Street in the village. After that, he said, it should
besome time before any major roadwork is needed in the village."That
will be really nice," Hilbert said.

Absentee voting a changing
practiceBy MAC CORDELLThis is not your grandfathers absentee
voting.In years past, absentee voting was something largely done by the
elderlyand those that would be out of the county on election day. Today, it
thepractice of many would be voters who are simply too busy to get to
thepolls on the first Tuesday, following the first Monday of November,
orwhat ever month the election is taking place in."I think the idea was
for convenience for voters," said Karla Herron,director of the Union County
Board of Elections.The Union County Board of Elections has already handed
out its firstballots of the 2007 general election.Because of statewide
decision to move to no-fault voting, residents donot need to have an excuse
to vote absentee."You need no reason," said Herron, who added the reasons
why someone maywant to vote absentee are as varried as convenince, fear that
somethingmay come up election day, avoiding the lines or saving
time.While no reason is needed, there are still a few rules to be
followed.Those wishing to vote absentee may do it one of two ways - either
inperson or by mail.To vote absentee by mail, registered voters must
submit a letterrequesting the absentee ballot. The letter must include, in
handwriting,the voter's name, address, birthdate, signature and either a
driver'slicense number or the final four digits of a social security
number.Requests by mail must be received at the board of elections no
laterthan Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007, by Noon. The ballot will be sent to
therequeste. It must be returned to the board of elections office
before7:30 p.m. election day. Even if the ballot is postmarked before
electionday, if it does not reach the board of elections by 7:30 p.m.
electionday, the vote will not be counted.The more preferred way to vote
absentee is simply to go to the board ofelections office. Voters can fill
out a form and receive a ballot orthey can fill out the same form and vote
on one of the board's touchscreen voting machines. Voters who go to the
board of elections officeand vote do not need any identification. Those that
go to the polls willneed a photo ID.Voting at the board office has
another benefit."When they come in to vote, if they have a question, we can
just answerit for them," said Theresa Hook, deputy director.An absentee
application can be downloaded from the board of elections'web site www.electionsonthe.net/oh/union.
That form can be used insubstitute of a request letter. From the website,
voters can also checkpolling locations, read ballot issues, download other
forms and checktheir own registration."It is really a valuable and
useful tool," said Gary Wallace, board ofelections clerk.In person
absentee voting may be done from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday,
from now through Monday, Nov. 5, at the board office,940 London Ave., Suite
1000. Signs will be posted directing voters tothe rear of the
building.The Board of Elections will also be open Saturday, November 3,
2007,from 9:00 to Noon for absentee voting.Special hours will be held
Tuesday, which is the last day for new voterregistrations or registration
changes for the 2007 elections. The boardwill be open Tuesday from 8:30 a.m.
to 9 p.m. Voters may cast ballotsduring those hours as well."We just
want to encourage everyone to get registered and be sure tovote," said
Herron. "People can come in here and vote absentee and beconfident that
their vote will be counted."

Village may sue Champaign CountyN. Lewisburg
officials to meet with
attorney todayBy CORINNE BIXThe village of North Lewisburg will meet
with an attorney today todiscuss possibly suing the Champaign County
auditor's office for what itfeels is the uneven distribution of state-funded
local government and revenue assistance.Currently distributions are based
on relative need instead of populationor acreage. In Union County,
distributions are determined based onpopulation, and amounts are adjusted
after every census.Barry First, outgoing village administrator, said last
year that it washis understanding that the method by which funds are
disbursedcountywide has not been re-evaluated since the 1940s.For 2008,
North Lewisburg has been allocated $28,000 in local governmentfunding, while
Mechanicsburg is set to receive close to $67,000, and St.Paris will receive
$61,000. All three municipalities have comparable populations.Andy Yoder,
the new village administrator, along with First and MayorDick Willis, will
meet with Ray Cox, an attorney from Dayton, to discuss possible
litigation.Yoder said that at this point the village is only making contact
with anattorney to discuss the issue. Attorney Harley Davidson of Urbana,
thevillage's standing legal counsel, recommended Cox."They (Davidson and
Cox) both think we have valid rights to go farther," First said.Last year
the village council passed a resolution, which was sent to theChampaign
County Budget Commission, contesting the way in which funds are
disbursed.The Champaign County Budget Commission is comprised of the
countyauditor, treasurer and prosecutor.First and Diane Davis, village
financial officer, began attendingcommission meetings last year and were
told in order for a change tooccur all 21 political subdivisions within
Champaign County would haveto vote and have a 51 percent majority vote. This
would come with someresistance, since a new calculation would take from some
and give to others.Willis took time on Monday evening to thank First for
his more than 30years of public service in the village.First will retire
at the end of this month."It's certainly been an honor to serve the
community," First said.Yoder said the village has decided to resubmit for
bids for the parkrest room project.Last month it was reported that bids
for the project came in well overthe engineer's original estimate of
$26,000. The lowest bid was $46,635,and the highest bid was $81,500.The
village has since streamlined the building design to help
conserve costs.The project will completely refurbish the bathrooms with
$27,000received in Community Development Grant Block (CDBG) funds.In
addition, the village is working to apply for funding for the BikePath
Bridge Project which will be in large part funded with CDBG funding.The
project should see $68,000 in grant funding with a local match of$23,600.
The local match will be paid through various funds already in place.In
other news:.deputy Glenn Kemp gave the Champaign County Sheriff's report for
themonth of September. It included 21 traffic citations, four
warningsissued for traffic violations, 16 incident reports, 28 cases
ofassistance give to citizens, 15 arrests made, nine civil and
criminalpapers served, 46 follow-up investigations, three open doors,
seveninstances of juvenile contacts, one civic activity completed, and
oneauto accident report taken..Beggar's Night will be Oct. 31 from 6-8
p.m. as set by the ChampaignCounty Mayor's Association.approved the
agreement with the county to provide legal counsel forindigent
persons.heard the wastewater treatment plant start-up date is set for Oct.
22.received information from the Champaign County Health District
aboutthe 0.4-mill levy for operating expenses on the November ballot. It
isestimated that the owner of a $100,000 home will spend an
additional$12.60 in property tax per year if the levy
passes.

Jerome Township considers crackdown on election signsBy
MAC CORDELLA Jerome Township resident addressed the board of trustees
Mondayregarding concerns over election signs."It is like the
commercialization of Christmas where it starts aroundthe Fourth of July some
years," said resident Mike Bing.Bing approached the trustees about the sign
regulations in the zoningcode which is posted on the township's Web
site."I was just wondering if, I wanted to know if the zoning code on the
Website is up to date," Bing said, adding that some sections have not
beenchanged recently.Township Clerk Robert Caldwell said he was not sure
the entire code isonline, but believes the only sections not up to date are
in referenceto lot size and zoning appeals.Bing then informed the
trustees the Web site included a version of thezoning code which
specifically prohibits campaign signs in publicright-of-ways. He said the
code also includes a prohibition on signsbeing erected more than 30 days
before the election."I think I have noticed some violations around the
township," Bing said.He added, "I think there are some out around the
township now."He specifically cited a sign already placed near a township
park."How can we put our faith, as the voters, how can we put our faith,
whenpeople are either unaware of the laws, or vagrantly disregarding
them?" asked Bing.Township Trustee Ron Rhodes said, "it is a matter of
free speech."He said a zoning code similar to the townships has been tested
in court.He specifically referenced a court case regarding a law in
Marysvilleprohibiting campaign signs earlier than 14 days before the
election.Rhodes said the city's rule was challenged several years ago in
acontest for county prosecutor."The law was struck down," Rhodes
said.Bing responded saying, "maybe you ought to change the Web
site."Township Trustee Bob Merkle thanked Bing for his concerns and
formonitoring the Web site."You have a very good point Mr. Bing," Merkle
said. "That needs to beaddressed online if there is a change or if that is a
violation."Rhodes said after the meeting that even with the code being in
conflictwith the courts, it cannot be remedied before the election. He
saidbecause a zoning code change would be needed, it would take a minimum
of90 days to reconcile the township's rule with the court's
apparent ruling.

Unionville Council hears audit resultsBy AUDREY
HALLThe biennial audit was the topic of a special meeting held Tuesday
bythe Unionville Center Village Council.The signatures of all council
members are required on the draft auditreport received by clerk treasurer
Tracy Rausch.Rausch said that the report needs to be returned to the auditor
of stateas soon as possible.During the audit period, 2005-2006, there
were two clerk-treasurers forthe village. When Karla Gingerich moved outside
the village, she becameineligible for the position. Current clerk-treasurer
Tracy Rausch wasappointed to replace Gingerich in September 2006.Jeremy
Buskirk, assistant auditor, audit division, Columbus region ofthe auditor of
state's office, conducted the audit. Buskirk found twoimproperly posted
amounts.Motor vehicle license tax funds in the amount of $595.61 were posted
inthe general fund when they should have been posted to the
streetconstruction maintenance and repair fund. General fund expenditures
of$129 were posted to the street construction maintenance and repair
fund.The adjustments were between funds and corrections have already
beenmade by the clerk-treasurer. No other errors or irregularities
were noted in the report.Payment of $2,024 for the required audit was
approved at the regularSeptember council meeting.Those present at the
meeting were Rausch, Mayor Denver Thompson, andcouncil members Ron Griffith,
Mary Lou Morris, Phil Rausch, Brenda Terryand Peggy Williamson.The next
regular meeting of the village council will be Tuesday at
6:30 p.m.

Latest community concert was 'sparkling'Editor's
note: The following review of the initial production of the2007-2008 Union
County Community Concerts Association is submitted by Kay
Liggett.---"On Broadway" was indeed the "sparkling revue of
show-stopping moments"it was advertised to be!The production was staged
Tuesday night at Marysville High School andfeatured a multi-talented
energetic traveling troupe of eightactor-dancers. They held the audience
spellbound with classic Broadwayand contemporary Broadway productions.A
remarkable, tireless four-man orchestra of drum, keyboard, bass
andpercussion made it an evening of great music. We loved it!Some of the
comments I heard from my neighboring audience membersincluded "Can't say how
it could be better!" "I sat with goose bumps thewhole show," "'Phantom' blew
me out of my chair!" "Great choreography.""Slickest Broadway I've ever
seen."The vertical stage creation and lighting was interesting, creating
threelevels for actors to romp up and down, creating an illusion of a
biggerstage and greater cast. Impressive!The music - oh, that music -
was magnificent! It included powerful, glorious duets."The Music of the
Night" from "Phantom of the Opera" was chillinglybeautiful. The female voice
in "Hello, Dolly!" belted out the tunes justas the original Broadway grand
dame did.Popular numbers included "If I Were a Rich Man," "Oklahoma,"
"PeopleWill Say We're in Love," "River City" "Tonight" and more and
more.The costuming was colorful and creative. And what energy!The full
house gave them all a well-deserved standing ovation.The next production of
the Union County Community Concerts Associationwill be Nov. 4 and will
feature "The Polyjesters," four men playing"chunk" music. Composed of
ukulele, fiddle, percussion and bass, thegroup plays a mixture of swing,
folk, old country, bluegrass and ragtimemusic, coupled with humor.Former coach enters guilty pleaBy MAC CORDELLA former Marysville High
School assistant girls basketball coach haspleaded guilty to a felony charge
of bringing a firearm onto school grounds.Michael T. Francisco, whose
only court-listed address is P.O. Box 561 inMarysville, pleaded guilty
Monday to one count of illegal conveyance orpossession of a deadly weapon or
dangerous ordnance or illegalpossession of object indistinguishable from
firearm in a school safetyzone, a felony of the fifth degree. Francisco
faces a possible year-long prison term.Francisco waived indictment in the
case and pleaded to a bill ofinformation before the case reached a grand
jury."Do you want to tell me what happened to get here today?" asked
the judge."I was a basketball coach," Francisco began.He said he was
on his way to basketball practice as the assistant girls'varsity coach. He
said he just entered Marysville High School propertywhen he was pulled over
by the police. When police asked if he had a gunin the car, he said he
did.Francisco told the judge he runs several businesses and often is
forcedto carry large sums of cash to be deposited. He said he has a
concealedcarry permit and carries the gun for protection.Defense
attorney Jeffrey Merklin elaborated. Merklin said stores in thevicinity of
Francisco's had been robbed. He began carrying the gun for protection."I
don't want to say he forgot about it, but," Merklin said.He added that it
was "flawed judgment" to forget about the gun and thatthere was no excuse
for doing so.The attorney said Francisco was going through "a pretty nasty
divorce"at the time. He said it was the soon-to-be ex-wife who contacted
policeto tell them the coach had been carrying a gun and it would be on
school property."It is his fault and I know in this day and age, the
impact of somethinglike this," Merklin said.Merklin said Francisco
stopped coaching immediately, a move that had aprofound effect on the
team."It really hurt my daughter and a bunch of other girls as well,"
Merklinsaid. The attorney's daughter was on the basketball team
Francisco coached.The attorney called it, "a very, very difficult
situation to deal with."Sentencing is set for Monday, Oct. 22. Merklin
said his client has nocriminal record. As part of the plea agreement,
prosecutors agreed torecommend a three-year probation term and no prison
time.Parrott ordered a presentence agreement. He said that he would
likelyfollow the sentencing recommendation, "assuming everything is
asadvertised," indicating Francisco had no prior record.

Murder
suspect unfit for trialBy MAC CORDELLAccording to a journal entry filed
Monday morning, an accused murdererwill not stand trial any time
soon.Robert Timothy Conley, 46, of 220 Greenwood Blvd., Apt. 1D, is
chargedwith murder and aggravated murder after the Thanksgiving day shooting
of a neighbor.Union County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard E. Parrott
filed an entryMonday moving the case to inactive status.Last week,
prosecutors and the defense had a hearing regarding the"defendant's
inability to understand the nature and objective of theproceedings against
him and assisting his counsel in his own defense,"according to court
documents.At the hearing, prosecutors agreed with defense counsel and
mentalhealth evaluators that Conley was still unable to stand trial as he
didnot understand the charges or the process and that he was unable to
help his attorney."This case is ordered inactive and the attorneys are
ordered to preparean entry assigning defendant to the maximum security
forensic unit atTVBH-CC (Twin Valley Behavioral Health ? Columbus Campus)
for furtherproceedings," Parrott wrote.Conley has been at the facility
since February when his attorneys filedpleas of not guilty and not guilty by
reason of insanity. They requestedtheir client be evaluated for both sanity
and competency.Parrott initially ordered Conley to undergo an evaluation as
anoutpatient at Twin Valley's facility in Dayton. However, officials
fromthe treatment facility requested the evaluation be done both as
aninpatient and at the maximum security facility in Columbus, "given
thenature of the offense alleged."In March, mental health evaluators
reported that Conley was incompetentto stand trial, "but that there is a
substantial probability that thedefendant may become competent to stand
trial within one year if heundergoes treatment at an approved
facility."Parrott ordered Conley detained at Twin Valley's maximum
securityfacility for treatment and evaluation. The judge ordered
periodicreports on the defendant's mental condition. He also noted that a
finalevaluation must be submitted no later than 14 days before
theanniversary of the initial incompetence finding. He ruled the
caseinactive at that time, then activated it again in time for the
most recent update.Twin Valley has been ordered to alert the court when
personnel believeConley is psychiatrically ready to stand
trial.According to court documents, Conley and neighbor Charles E.
"Butch"Frazell had been feuding during the autumn of last year. On Nov.
23,Conley saw Frazell exit his car. Conley allegedly picked up
a.22-caliber pistol and went to confront Frazell, who Conley says
called him "the Taliban.""Conley indicated to (Marysville) Officer Brian
Payne that the reasonConley left his apartment with the handgun was that
Conley was 'sick andtired of being called names and it was going to end,'"
according to court documents.Conley allegedly told other neighbors he was
going to shoot Frazell.When Conley confronted the victim, there was a short
verbal altercationin front of the apartment complex. Frazell began to walk
away whenConley allegedly shot him in the chest."Conley told police he
knew Frazell would no longer bother him,"according to court documents.
"Following the shooting, Conley toldpolice that he went back to his
apartment, unloaded the handgun and setit on the table. Conley also took off
a knife which he had been wearingand waited for police to arrive. Conley
indicated that he unloaded theweapon and took off the knife to avoid
problems with the police."Medics and police officers arrived at the scene
and tried to resuscitateFrazell. However, those efforts were unsuccessful
and the victim waspronounced dead at Memorial Hospital of Union
County.Conley told police what he had done. He tried to his explain his
actions to investigators."I did to Butch to protect myself and to even
let everyone know that Iam not the (expletive), loudmouth fool that people
think I am," Conleywrote in a statement to police.He added he, "was
sorry for Butch that he would not listen and would notstop his terrorist
remarks to me. I felt I would not live in theapartment in safety if I did
not act on protecting myself."

ORW inmate arraigned on escape tryBy MAC CORDELLAlready a prisoner, a
local woman may have been looking for anotheropportunity to escape following
her recent arraignment. Tanisha Jenkins, 28, is an inmate at the Ohio
Reformatory for women.Earlier this summer, she was indicted on one count
each of escape, asecond-degree felony, possession of a deadly weapon while
underdetention, a first-degree felony, and assault, a fifth-degree
felony.At her arraignment Friday, Jenkins pleaded not guilty and requested
acourt appointed attorney.Following the appearance, done by video from
the Ohio Reformatory forWomen, Union County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard
Parrott asked thedefendant if she had any questions. She said she
did."Will ya'll bring me to Union County for this, or are you going to do
ithere like this?" Jenkins asked.The judge said the hearings would be
done by video from the prison."You will stay right there at the reformatory,
and we will do it rightthere like this," Parrott said."That way you
don't have to be inconvenienced by coming out here oranything like that,"
the judge added.According to court documents, on Feb. 19, 2006, Jenkins was
serving a20-year-to-life sentence stemming from a conviction in 1998 of one
countof aggravated murder in Cuyahoga County.About 11:45 a.m., Jenkins
was by the entrance of the women's prison andbegan walking towards the
fence. A corrections officer ordered Jenkinsto stop and get down on the
ground. Jenkins told the officer that shewasn't going to stop. She became
aggressive and charged at the officer.Jenkins allegedly punched the officer
in the face. That officer wrestledJenkins to the ground and handcuffed
her.As he was pulling Jenkins off the ground, she allegedly kicked a
secondofficer in the thigh.The first officer, after Jenkins was off the
ground, found a shanklaying where Jenkins had been.According to court
documents, Jenkins admitted to investigators theshank was hers. She told
them she used it for protection in the prison.She could be paroled in 2021
on the murder conviction, but would face amandatory additional three years
for a gun specification from the murdercharge. Parrott set no bond amount
since the defendant has noopportunity for release anytime soon.If
convicted on all the new charges, she faces another 19 years in prison.